Chapter 82 Unstable Factors in the Final Circle (Third Update!)

On the screen, Yang Hao, clad in a ghillie suit, crept forward inch by painstaking inch. His movement was agonizingly slow—almost maddeningly so. Yet Old Jiang, that incorrigible fellow, seemed bent on mischief as well. Of all the players left on the map, why insist on keeping the camera fixed on Yang Hao?

After nearly half a minute, Yang Hao finally made it into the safe zone. Watching him hunker down atop that little slope, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Good grief, if even getting into the circle is this much of an ordeal, how on earth has he survived this long? Yet all of them knew well enough—Yang Hao was one of those terrifyingly skilled players; they'd already witnessed his prowess earlier.

Still, who could have guessed that these masters of the game, for all their strength, could be so deviously cunning? The series of guerrilla skirmishes just now had left the audience utterly speechless. These days, even the strongest players have learned to play dirty—how are the weaker ones supposed to stand a chance?

Now, with so few left alive in the match, every eliminated player drew the full attention of the rest. Gradually, gunfire dwindled. Most players deliberately concealed themselves, knowing that any move now could affect their final ranking, perhaps even determine who advanced to the grand finals. No one dared make a reckless move.

Meanwhile, Gao He and Blood Wolf also managed to slip into the safe zone. Having come all the way from the west bridge and taken fire during their approach, their four-man squad was now whittled down to just the two of them. At this moment, they were not far from Yang Hao’s position, though neither side had yet discovered the other.

Everyone lay in wait, hoping someone else would make the first move so they could swoop in and reap the rewards. Each of them yearned to be the last man standing, the fisher who profits while the others fight. As a result, even as the final circle closed in, eight players remained.

Of those last eight, fully half were from Yang Hao’s team. From the very start, they had maintained a full squad. At this realization, many gasped in disbelief—one breath, two breaths, three breaths—unable to stop themselves. This team was simply terrifying. Though it wasn’t the first time they’d noticed, they still felt compelled to marvel; without expressing their shock, something would feel incomplete. After all, what’s the point of watching if you’re not astonished?

Astonishment—a word that means to be seized by tension, fear, excitement, or disturbance after an unexpected event. Witnessing someone gulp down an entire bun in one bite? Be astonished! Hearing someone suddenly confess their love to you? Be astonished! Discovering someone has secretly stashed away eight gigabytes of rare files? You simply must be astonished! The occasions for astonishment are endless.

When it comes to watching competitions, astonishment is the perfect reaction; it keeps things from becoming bland or tedious. But if anyone truly mastered the art of astonishment, it had to be that most mysterious Department of Astonishment at a certain C News outlet. The most mundane happenings, once filtered through their hands, could shock the entire world. There was nothing they couldn’t imagine—only stories you wouldn’t dare read.

In short, astonishment is endlessly useful.

Back in the game, Yang Hao had quietly crawled into the final zone, lying motionless in an inconspicuous spot. He was back to playing dead. Less than thirty seconds remained before the final toxic zone began to close in. No one moved. The calm was unnatural, almost eerie. This final zone did not resemble any they’d seen before.

Suddenly, a distinct noise echoed through the game—a motorcycle’s engine? Many were taken aback. Who would still be driving at a time like this? Courting death?

The live feed abruptly switched to another scene. At the edge of the toxic zone, someone mounted a motorcycle and sped toward the final circle. As the bike roared away, a prone figure behind him suddenly rose, raised an assault rifle, and opened fire with all his might.

A burst of gunfire—the motorcycle didn’t get far before its rider tumbled to the ground.

“Crystal Cake knocked out Cannon Yao with an M416!”

“Damn, there was someone here?” Yao Cheng cursed as the kill notification flashed across the screen.

Hearing his voice, Yang Hao and Zhang Tian couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle. Who else was to blame? At this point, still trying to show off—if not you, then who should die?

Clearly, Yao Cheng had tried to draw attention by driving out, but luck wasn’t on his side and he got ambushed. With the toxic zone closing in and his location revealed, there was no chance of anyone reviving him now. He could only accept his fate.

The zone was shrinking, and this spot was a bit far from the safe area. The shooter, having given away their position by firing, hesitated for a moment before hopping onto the very motorcycle Yao Cheng had abandoned and speeding toward the circle.

The commotion as he entered the zone was significant; everyone left alive had noticed. Yet, no one fired. None were willing to expose themselves first. The rider knew he was fully exposed; even if he found cover, who’s to say there wasn’t a hidden player lying in wait? He might be walking straight into a trap.

So he didn’t stop, instead racing his motorcycle in circles inside the final zone, hoping that, in the end, he might drag a few more down with him.

“Should we take the shot?” Gao He, itching to act, whispered as he watched the motorcyclist’s antics.

Blood Wolf shook his head. “Not yet. Let them make the first move.” The two resumed their vigil.

At last, someone snapped. A sudden burst of gunfire rang out; someone had fired. The driver reacted instantly—jumping off and switching weapons, returning fire. The two exchanged shots, and as one was gunned down, another shot echoed.

“Strive for Progress killed Braised Lionhead with an AKM headshot!”

Yet as the victor emerged from the duel, Zhang Tian finished him off from another angle.

Now, only five remained in the match! Two squads, facing off—two against three.

Suddenly, two gunshots cracked out.

“Blood Wolf knocked out Strive for Progress with an AWM headshot!”

Just as Zhang Tian revealed himself to finish one player, Blood Wolf struck. One shot, one kill with the AWM—Zhang Tian went down.

Yet in the same instant, Zhu Ziyuan fired as well, but wielding an M24, he only managed to severely injure Blood Wolf. Ducking behind cover, Blood Wolf glanced at his nearly empty health bar, his heart pounding in fear. Had the other player been armed with an AWM as well, he would surely have been dead.

He hadn’t even realized the enemy had fired until the shot landed. Their opponent’s skill was formidable.

With Zhang Tian down, it was now two versus two. During the firefight, Zhu Ziyuan and Blood Wolf had both marked each other’s positions. Yang Hao, too, had seen them. The rock where the enemy was hiding was quite close to him.

While everyone’s attention was focused on Zhu Ziyuan and Blood Wolf, few noticed that Yang Hao, who had been lying motionless all this time, suddenly began to move.

Those who caught sight of this were momentarily stunned. Was this guy about to stir up trouble again?