Chapter 8: Cowardly as a Dog
After tossing two bottles of drinks to the ground, Ling Xue’er went off to regroup with Lin Zijin.
Finishing a bottle, Yang Hao picked up the S686 shotgun Lin Zijin had discarded earlier and began searching the building.
He made a circuit of the third floor, but found only another shotgun. There wasn’t even a bandage or a smoke grenade left for him.
Yang Hao knew Lin Zijin must have already looted the place, but he hadn’t expected her to be so thorough—not even a drop of soup was left behind.
In his mind, Yang Hao thought, “Fine, you get the meat, but can’t you at least leave me some broth?”
Frustrated, he found a UMP9 submachine gun and sixty rounds on the second floor. It wasn’t a rifle, but at least it soothed his bruised spirit.
After finishing his search, his gear had been updated: a level-one helmet, vest, and backpack—a true level-one set—a S686 shotgun, a UMP9 submachine gun, and a smoke grenade.
Bandages, none.
He still had one bottle of drink left from Ling Xue’er.
“Qingqing Zijin used a Kar98K to headshot kill ‘You’re Just Playing Around’.”
“Qingqing Zijin used an M416 to kill ‘Come On, Come On, Come On’.”
“Qingqing Zijin used an M416 to kill ‘Run, Run, Run’.”
As Yang Hao checked his inventory, three system notifications rang out.
Judging by the player IDs, they were clearly a squad—and their ridiculous names sent a wave of laughter through Lin Zijin’s livestream chat.
“Seven kills!” Yang Hao remarked softly as he glanced at the kill feed.
Indeed, while he was still leisurely looting, Lin Zijin had already racked up seven kills including these three.
She truly deserved her reputation as a pro.
Even Yang Hao couldn’t help but want to praise her.
Of course, a husband complimenting his wife was only natural.
By the time Yang Hao left the building, most of the nearby enemies had already been dealt with by Lin Zijin’s team.
However, just as he stepped outside, heading toward Lin Zijin’s position, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted.
“D-d-d-d-d—”
A hail of bullets.
His health plummeted instantly, leaving Yang Hao stunned.
Who the hell was lurking there?
Having seen Lin Zijin take out so many people, Yang Hao had assumed the area was clear and strolled out confidently, only to be ambushed out of nowhere.
“Tiny Ant used an M16A4 to knock ‘Gentle Heart’.”
Yang Hao was down.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out—Lin Zijin had intervened!
“Qingqing Zijin used a Kar98K to headshot kill ‘Tiny Ant’.”
One shot, one kill.
“Babe, help! I’m dying here—”
Finding himself knocked yet again, Yang Hao was so frightened his soul nearly left him; in his panic, he cried out his innermost plea.
Lin Zijin ignored him.
“Sis, help me!”
Seeing no response, Yang Hao hurriedly changed his approach.
Still, Lin Zijin paid no attention.
Yang Hao was utterly desperate.
“Little Xue, help me…”
With no other options, since Lin Zijin wouldn’t come, Yang Hao had to turn to someone else.
“I want to eat—”
“Put it on the tab!”
“Alright, with this one, you owe me five dishes now.”
“…”
Yang Hao couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Even though he felt a pang of frustration, he comforted himself: compared to Lin Zijin, Ling Xue’er was much easier to negotiate with—just five dishes for a rescue.
He crawled back inside, while Lin Zijin and Lu Ziqi covered with their guns. Ling Xue’er sprinted over and revived him once again.
“Do you have any bandages left?” Yang Hao looked at Ling Xue’er with a pitiful expression, his frustration evident.
So much time had passed, yet Lu Ziqi and Ling Xue’er both had two rifles each, Lin Zijin wielded a 98K, and he was stuck with a shotgun and a submachine gun—not even a single bandage.
What misery!
“Six dishes now!”
Dropping five more bandages, Ling Xue’er made sure to emphasize her terms.
With so many debts already, what was one more? Yang Hao figured it didn’t matter anymore.
After patching up and drinking his last bottle, Yang Hao scanned the area and finally sneaked out, still cautious.
The moment he stepped outside, his eyes lit up.
Loot crates were everywhere—remnants of the recent battle.
He was tempted, but wary of being knocked down again, so he hesitated to act rashly.
“Zijin, a squad just ran off,” Lu Ziqi reported.
That eased Yang Hao’s worries. Seeing Lin Zijin covering with her rifle, his courage soared—nothing to fear with his wife around.
He holstered his gun and dashed toward one of the loot crates.
Empty.
His good mood vanished after checking the first box.
On to the next!
Master of self-consolation, Yang Hao quickly moved to another crate.
M16A4!
Finding the rifle inside, Yang Hao was ecstatic.
He felt the heavens were finally looking out for him—he’d finally found a rifle after all this time.
It was quite bittersweet; only now, after so long, did he finally get his hands on one.
But—
When he equipped the M16A4, his smile froze.
It had no ammo.
Not a single bullet—completely empty.
Still, Yang Hao couldn’t bring himself to leave it behind and moved on to the next crate.
“Haha! Heaven favors me—a 4x scope!”
“Whoa, an 8x! 8x!”
“I’m rich! So much ammo—5.56, 7.62…”
Perhaps he was making up for all the previous frustration, but Yang Hao transformed into a busy little bee, laughing maniacally with every item he picked up, leaving Ling Xue’er and Lu Ziqi at a loss for words.
“Um… Little Xue, could I borrow your level-three backpack for a bit? Mine’s full.”
As if afraid she’d refuse, Yang Hao added, “I’ll trade you my level-two backpack and an 8x scope.”
He’d just picked up two 8x scopes and was feeling quite flush.
“No deal!” Ling Xue’er’s reply was firm.
“But… the 8x…”
“Don’t want it!”
Yang Hao tried once more to stress the value of the 8x scope, but Ling Xue’er shot him down immediately.
Resigned, Yang Hao sighed and almost wanted to ask, “Are you crazy? Who turns down an 8x?”—but he dared not voice it, fearing that if he got knocked down again, Ling Xue’er might refuse to revive him.
For his own safety, Yang Hao chose to keep quiet and, after eyeing the pile of loot, trudged back.
After the fierce battle, it seemed their squad was the only group left in the area, so this time Yang Hao returned without any surprises.
“8x!”
Yang Hao had just reached Lin Zijin’s side when, before he could speak, she called out.
Lin Zijin had been doing most of the shooting and hardly looted any crates, so her 98K only had a 4x scope. Upon hearing that Yang Hao had two 8x scopes, she immediately asked for one.
Naturally, Yang Hao didn’t hesitate in the slightest and handed over a shiny 8x scope.
Lin Zijin took it without ceremony and equipped it on her 98K.
“Um… would you let me try your 98K for a bit?” Yang Hao asked, eyeing her rifle with undisguised longing.
He’d searched so many crates and hadn’t found a single 98K; it seemed this was the only one spawned in the area.
Bang!
At the very moment Yang Hao shamelessly made his request, a small hole appeared at his feet.
Looking up, he saw Lin Zijin aiming her 98K straight at him.
“Just kidding, just kidding…” Yang Hao said with a string of nervous laughs, shuffling backward a few steps.
Cowardly as a whipped dog…
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Author’s Note:
Damn, I can’t hold it in—I have to say this. I have nothing but contempt for this guy. Unlike my own status at home: I do the dishes when I want, mop the floor when I want, wash the laundry when I want—who can stop me?
Ugh, enough—my wife is coming—