Chapter 28: The Blue-Green Alliance

To prevent any mishaps in the heat of the moment, Eighteen and I opted for alternating fire. This ensured that at least one of us always had bullets left in our gun, no matter what happened next. One can never predict what the next moment will bring, so it’s best to be as prepared as possible. There’s a world of difference between being bold and being reckless—just a single word apart in speech, but in meaning, they’re as different as night and day. Boldness means the courage to forge ahead; recklessness is built around nothing but foolishness.

My marksmanship is good, but in such a tangled environment, hitting someone is never easy. I only had a slightly better chance than the others. Over on the girls’ side, the gunfire was still intense—proof that they were still in the fight, not wiped out. Knowing this, we were less worried. If they’d been eliminated, it would’ve happened already. Since they hadn’t, the battle was in a deadlock—a balanced standoff.

Honestly, I quite liked having a worthy opponent. Even if we were eliminated, we could accept it with grace. As always, what mattered wasn’t the outcome, but the process.

I realized that if we kept up this stalemate, we might not only fail to defeat the three opponents, but could also draw others in and end up surrounded. That was the last thing any of us wanted.

“Your sharpshooters are impressive over there. What do you think? Interested in a temporary alliance? I’m Yan Ruyu.” I figured it was worth trying to form a short-term partnership.

As I spoke, I signaled Eighteen to stop firing with me. The three on the other side, noticing we had ceased fire, hesitantly called out, “Is that the Yan Ruyu, the one with legendary aim?”

Their flattery made me blush a little. “You’re exaggerating, but yes, I’m that Yan Ruyu.”

“We’re done here. No point in fighting a sharpshooter—just asking for trouble. If you’re Yan Ruyu, I trust you. I’m willing to team up,” said one of them.

“But how do we know you’re sincere about this alliance?” asked the one with the most elusive hiding spot.

Truth be told, this guy was the main reason I wanted to join forces. Not only was his aim good, his choice of cover was impeccable—my bullets couldn’t touch him, always deflected by branches or something else.

“Trust is the foundation of any alliance. Let’s all put our guns on safety and step out. To show my sincerity, I’ll go first.” With that, I switched my gun’s safety on and stood up.

Eighteen followed my lead. After a whispered discussion, and with the nod of their two eliminated teammates, the three decided to trust us and join forces.

They wore green-team vests. I guessed ours would be the only group combining green and blue team gunmen.

“Initial trust is the cornerstone of our cooperation. Welcome to the alliance,” I said, extending my hand to the player with the trickiest cover.

He gave me a surprised look, then shook my hand.

“You can hear the gunfire, can’t you? On the ridge over there—those are my teammates, locked in battle with another group. Would you care to join me in heading over?” I made a gesture inviting them along.

“No need. There are five of our teammates up there too—five girls,” the elusive player explained.

“Right, I’m Gao Yi, from Class Fifteen, Year One.”

“Yan Ruyu, class president of Class Thirty-three, Year One. Pleased to meet you.” Since he’d introduced himself, I did the same.

“This is Mao Eighteen, my comrade—quick, sharp-eyed, and keen-eared. Thanks to him, I found your position.”

At this, the three on the other side looked at Eighteen with admiration. I had to admit, Eighteen was remarkable. I was glad he was my teammate, not my rival. With an opponent like that, no matter how good my aim, I’d still be worried—could I keep from being tracked down by him? Best not to overthink it, or my head would start to ache.

“Let’s head over and get them to stop fighting,” I said, remembering this wasn’t the time for small talk. We needed to move quickly and intervene—losing even one or two more people now would be a shame. Since we’d formed an alliance, every loss hurt us all.

We hurried on and soon came upon the two groups in a firefight. To draw their attention, I fired a few rounds into the trees. Instantly, both sides spotted the five of us.

Since they recognized us, the shooting stopped.

“Yan Ruyu, what’s going on?” Huang Xinru called out from behind a tree.

“Gao Yi, who are they?” asked the lead girl on the other side.

“We’ve formed an alliance. Want to join?” Gao Yi explained directly.

“Alliance?” the girls echoed in surprise.

I nodded. “That’s right, you heard correctly. We’ve decided to team up. In the end, only a hundred will remain—who those people are doesn’t matter so much. Blue team, green team—these are just labels. Besides, I’ve seen their skills; we’re better off cooperating.”

I addressed the seven remaining girls. One, already eliminated, was gone; of the five on the other side, only three remained.

“But didn’t you say it didn’t matter whether we made the top hundred? That the process was what counted?” Huang Xinru asked me.

“Exactly. One of your teammates just sacrificed herself, but I stand by what I said—the process matters most.”

“And you had a great battle just now, didn’t you?” I asked the eliminated girl.

She nodded vigorously.

“Even though you’re out, you accomplished what we set out to do—we had a thrilling fight, and that’s what counts. As for this alliance, I just want to make things even more exciting. It’s not enough for just a few of us to have fun—if everyone gets to enjoy themselves, this training exercise will have been worthwhile.”

My words reached not only my teammates but also our new allies. The three girls who’d lost teammates looked a bit resentful at first, but then seemed to see my point. The two eliminated girls, recalling the rush of battle, exchanged knowing smiles.

“This isn’t the time for talk—one question: do we unite or not?” I pressed. The gunfire just now had surely drawn others. This place would soon turn chaotic.

“Of course I’ll follow you, Captain,” Huang Xinru replied at once. The other girls, who trusted my leadership, nodded too.

“How about it—are you in?” Gao Yi asked the remaining girls.

“All right, let’s do it. One big alliance for the final round.”

“Then let’s all regroup on the mountaintop,” I ordered.

Gao Yi nodded at the girls, and our band of fourteen elite players crept up the slope.

Since the place had just seen a skirmish, it was empty. I’d brought everyone up here to make others think we were moving out, when in fact, we were staying put. The spot where the first shots had sounded would draw any newcomers, but when they found it deserted, they’d look to these two ridges—both had just witnessed combat and left a few eliminated players behind. Logically, they’d assume we wouldn’t be lingering here.

But we stayed. If anyone dared to sneak up, we’d be ready to catch them off guard.

Deception and reality, reality and deception—when others can’t read your strategy, victory is within reach.

Even if someone saw through our plan, it didn’t matter. What we sought was the thrill of the process—a fierce, exhilarating experience.