Chapter Twenty-Five: Calamity Drawn Westward

This incident made me realize that bullets are never saved—they are spent in action. With ample ammunition, our confidence soared.

"Fire once and change position. We can’t use the road leading directly to the battle circle from this direction; it’s very likely an ambush. Let’s move three hundred meters to the left, parallel to our current line, and then advance," I instructed.

This was the classic strategy of feinting in one direction and attacking in another. If we misled our opponents about our movements, the advantage would be ours.

"Ladies, stay hidden," Huang Xinru quickly reminded the team, noticing that the recent overwhelming victory had made some of them a bit too elated.

Only then did I realize these girls were striding forward boldly and fiercely, full of swagger and momentum. The sight almost frightened me half to death.

I hurriedly gestured for everyone to get down.

"Hey, teammates, don’t you think we’re pretty amazing? First, we used strategy to gather five guns, then we wiped out an entire squad head-on," I said, a bit carried away myself.

Huang Xinru frowned slightly at my words, opening her mouth as if to say something but swallowing it back. The others, except for the usually indifferent Mao Shiba, nodded enthusiastically like pecking chicks.

"So, should we just charge forward and eliminate everyone else?" I suggested. The girls' faces lit up with joy, as if victory was right at our fingertips.

"I’m not sure that’s a good idea... With so many enemies, can we really win?" one of them hesitated shyly, half protesting, half tempted.

My intention was to make them realize the disparity in strength between us and the remaining enemies, but instead, they seemed even more convinced of our invincibility.

My heart sank, cold with worry.

"Come on, ladies, are you that confident in yourselves, or just in me? To be honest, I don’t have much faith that we’ll make it safely into the next battle circle," I said bluntly.

My candor caught them off guard, and they paused.

"We succeeded these two times because we were cautious and meticulous, yet we still nearly fell into a trap," I continued, glancing at the group.

"If we can’t maintain that same careful attitude and discipline, then failure is inevitable."

My words instantly deflated the girls, who had been so full of bravado just moments before, leaving them wilted like frostbitten eggplants.

"However, let’s not underestimate ourselves either. The fact that we’ve survived this long means we have some solid skills. As long as we stick together, divide tasks clearly, and keep up our cautious approach, making it into the top hundred shouldn’t be a problem," I added, trying to lift their spirits without encouraging recklessness.

With that, the group found a balance—spirited, but no longer foolhardy. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I understood well that overconfidence leads to defeat. Too much easy success had made them arrogant, dismissive of the other teams. But I also didn’t want to break their spirits before we reached the top hundred; I wanted them to realize the truth themselves.

Leading the team into the top hundred was a goal I had set for myself, and I looked forward to achieving it.

"Now, listen to me: tread lightly, crouch down, and let’s move forward," I ordered.

Once the command was given, everyone snapped out of their previous mood. Huang Xinru, seeing that I was no longer overconfident, patted her chest and let out a long breath of relief. Caught under my gaze, she lowered her head, embarrassed—a rare sight for such a boyish girl. I smiled softly, amused but not dwelling on it.

We crept forward until we were fifty meters from the battle circle. I signaled everyone to hold position.

This was likely the final showdown—a small area, no bigger than a sports arena. At this distance, I felt that even a whisper could be heard by everyone present.

"Crawl forward. If you spot an enemy, alert the team; if you’re discovered, fire immediately," I instructed, leading the way as we crawled ahead.

I had to admire this stealthy, prone version of myself.

There was no way we could fire our guns here, but there were still plenty of ways to unsettle potential opponents. I had everyone in the squad pick up a small stone, and on my signal, we threw them toward the western edge of the circle, then quickly disguised ourselves as dead leaves and twigs under separate trees.

Sure enough, as soon as the stones rustled in the western brush, someone from another team fired blindly in that direction—immediately giving away their position.

By coincidence, there really was someone hiding in those bushes; one shot sent smoke rising as the target was eliminated.

But that wasn’t all—a sudden burst of gunfire sprayed from the brush, wiping out half of the shooters.

Two squads quickly found cover and began exchanging fire.

We couldn’t see the others, but I was certain they would seize the opportunity: those needing to enter the battle circle would make their move, while others would wait like hunters, ready to finish off the victors and claim the spoils.

I signaled for us to advance, and my teammates crawled into the battle circle under cover of gunfire.

To avoid the same fate as the squad we’d wiped out, we split up—each of our ten members camouflaged separately under a different tree.

This way, even if discovered, our whole team couldn’t be taken out at once. If they failed to finish us, we could counterattack and turn the tables.

Gunfire erupted all around, but our position remained quiet and undisturbed.

"What do we do now? There’s no announcement about whether we’re in the top hundred yet," Huang Xinru asked, frowning.

I’d considered that too. With all the gunfire, the fighting must have been intense—surely only a hundred were left by now.

"Stay calm. Don’t rush. What’s meant to be ours won’t be taken by anyone, and what isn’t, there’s no point in forcing," I replied serenely.

My detached, unambitious demeanor made a few of the girls grit their teeth, but their trust in me won out. They followed my lead and continued to hold their positions.

Another ten minutes passed before the helicopter above finally began to broadcast.

"Attention, little mice below—congratulations on making the top one hundred! The final showdown begins now. The last survivor will receive the ultimate reward."

As soon as the helicopter announced the top hundred, I saw three spots where people stood up and began to celebrate wildly.

But their jubilation was short-lived; the helicopter’s next words terrified them.

The others wasted no time—several groups opened fire on the celebrating targets.

In an instant, smoke filled the area, and those people were eliminated.

I made sure my teammates memorized the locations of every gunshot.