Chapter 127: Death Q&A (Four)
Chapter 127: Death Q&A (Four)
"Alright, thanks for the relatively decent critique from Young Master Wenyi..." Mr. You said, spreading his palm toward the big screen. "Let’s unveil the mystery!"
In the desert, Xiao Tan and Bei Ling couldn’t hear a single sound from the show’s live audience. They also saw no hint of cameras or recording equipment around them—the method of transmitting their images remained a mystery.
After sliding forward on their respective tracks for a while, both had suddenly been engulfed by blinding white light. Harsh sunlight shattered the previous darkness, and temperatures spiked as if they’d fallen from a spatial rift in midair.
This desert seemed eerily peaceful. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but golden sands—no cacti, no beast bones, no rocks, and certainly no oasis. Most bizarrely, in this wide-open expanse, there was no wind at all. The ground lay perfectly flat, not even a single dune rising above the horizon.
"These conditions are perfect for shooting", Bei Ling said, shielding her eyes with one hand as she surveyed the surroundings.
Xiao Tan gave a sheepish smile and murmured, "Thanks for coming with me."
"Ah, don’t mention it. It’s strategy", she replied with a sigh, lifting a finger to loosen her collar. Dressed head-to-toe in special forces gear, the scorching heat was clearly unbearable. "Since combat can be shared among multiple players, we should exploit the rules. Who told you to be both clumsy and weak?"
Xiao Tan didn’t dwell on her teasing—he knew she meant no harm. "Still… in this environment, where will the enemies come from?" He glanced upward. The sun blazed overhead, its brilliance forcing him to squint. "If they drop from the sky, will it be giant vultures or something?"
"By your logic, if they crawl up from underground, they’ll be giant bugs?" Bei Ling shot back.
They were both wrong…
At that moment, on the live stage, Mr. You reached the climactic reveal: "It’s… the Desert Tiger from Cybertron!"
A tidal wave of cheers erupted from the audience.
Simultaneously, the Desert Tiger entered Xiao Tan and Bei Ling’s field of view.
He appeared on the distant horizon, closing the gap at astonishing speed, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.
The creature took the form of a colossal mechanical tiger, his metallic body plated in vivid yellow-and-black tiger stripes. Though still far away, Xiao Tan estimated the monster—or rather, Transformer—wasn’t excessively large. Even in robot form, he’d probably stand only five to six meters tall.
Bang—
The rifle cracked first.
Xiao Tan turned to see Bei Ling already prone, her sniper rifle steadied, the first shot already fired.
In this windless, bright, and open arena, any marksman worth their salt would strike before the enemy approached. Even if an immediate kill from long range was unlikely, letting the metallic beast close in unscathed was unacceptable.
With ideal sniping conditions, Bei Ling aimed straight for the head. Unfortunately, the first shot missed—a predictable outcome given the target’s movement. Had the Desert Tiger stood still, even a player with F-tier shooting proficiency could’ve hit the mark with a standard scope-equipped rifle in this environment.
"Troublesome…" Bei Ling licked her lips, chambering another round as she squeezed the trigger.
Bang—
This time, the target loomed closer. Through the scope, its massive form filled the frame—and this shot landed.
Whether by luck or design, the bullet pierced the tiger’s left eye, leaving a smoldering crater that sparked violently. Yet the Desert Tiger was no organic lifeform but a living machine—the attack, while damaging, was far from fatal.
Bang—third shot.
Before checking the hit, Bei Ling reholstered the sniper rifle, swiftly swapping to a German-made MP5 submachine gun, aiming directly at the target.
Though an off-the-shelf model, the MP5’s hefty price tag made it a prime choice for financially capable shooters early in the game. Weighing under three kilograms, it boasted high fire rate, low recoil, exceptional accuracy, and rapid reloading. A proven standard weapon, the MP5 had remained a global special forces favorite for decades.
Ratatat—
When the Desert Tiger closed to within thirty meters, Bei Ling unleashed a storm of submachine gun fire. The third sniper round had already struck the beast’s chest, but the armor there was thick—her bullet left only a shallow dent.
Xiao Tan drew his Winchester shotgun, holding it steady despite his racing heart and sweaty palms. He delayed firing, having learned through past scenarios the strengths of his weapons. This shotgun’s power peaked at close range; beyond several dozen meters, even a battered armored vehicle wouldn’t survive such a blast.
The MP5’s bullets peppered the Desert Tiger’s front, spraying sparks but failing to slow him. As the machine closed to within ten meters, its hind legs coiled and launched—
Sunlight cast a looming shadow across the sand. As the tiger hung suspended midair, its silhouette warped violently.
Transformation—
The feline head split open, twisting as a robotic head emerged from its torso. The beast’s limbs contorted in unnatural angles, folding, compressing, then extending. Internal mechanical arms unfolded, while the tiger-striped armor retracted to form segmented plating along the limbs. The bullet scars on its head now lay on non-vital areas—the tiger form was clearly armor optimized for speed and damage absorption.
The transformation was chaotic yet seamless. Mid-leap, the beast became a six-meter-tall robotic warrior, landing with a thunderous impact before charging the two players.
Its voice system activated, cold and synthetic: "Humans… eradication… reconstruction…"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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