Love is War

Chapter 15

“What a magnificent end! Just for that one gaming rig,” I heard the announcer added to his announcement earlier. I catch my breath since that fight exhaust me, he is on his knees but he is conscious since knocking him out will mess with my guilt.

“Later,” I said to him while I walk to that gaming rig that I fought for.

“Hehehe, such dummies,” I heard someone already seated on the chair when I pulled it harshly. What the heck! It’s the same fatso from earlier! The amount of stress I am feeling right now is indescribable and I want to choke this guy until he is cold dead. I clenched my fist and gave him yet another death stare.

“You don’t know when to quit are you?” I threatened him and, in an instant, he felt the threat in my voice. His whole body is shaking in fear and he can’t move on his chair so I grabbed once again his shirt collar, and I turned my head towards the judges.

“It’s still counted,” he told me nervously, he got the message of my message. “As long as the red light in the table does not turn blue it’s still not taken,” he explained and I was relieved to know that he did not take this spot yet.

“Sorry, find another one,” I lifted him up from the chair and threw him off, from the corner of my eye, I saw the same tall guy scratching his head and just went straight to the remaining vacant seats, since almost all of the participants are seated except for him and the fatso. The tall guy just intimidated the fatso when he went for the same pc again with the tall guy. I hold my laughter since it’s so satisfying for that spoiled fatso, experience not to get what he wants.

Well, here I am, my chosen seat that will lead me to victory, I closed my eyes and imagined myself in my home comfortably sitting in front of my own pc, free from any missions and worries. I opened my eyes and pushed the power button and the system booted up instantly. I wore the brand-new head phones that they prepared for us.

My star shines seeing the icon of the game “Escape from Gulag”, and I clicked if as fast as I could and prepared myself as if I was in front of a cinema, and I am about to watch the most anticipated movie. In gaming, it felt like that especially when I am playing a new game.

Hmm, campaign games, I consider it as movies as it had great story, the only difference is I am the one controlling my characters, change my mind. A cutscene played and I took my time watching it before the menu was shown in the screen.

“Now all the participants are ready! Since your game is already logged in with an account that we created just for this competition, and the consolation price for the losers this round is a discount voucher when you buy this game at PCGG!!” oh, that’s why I don’t need to register or log an account. I like the marketing strategy of this store using the competition to gain more sales. No business man or woman wants losses in their business, this competition alone is big enough to spend their whole sale for a year, and they will not do this just for the sake of fair service. My foot.

Suddenly a text box pops out in the screen that is saying to put our desired username for the game. I typed, warfreak101, well that suits my personality better lol! I pressed enter and the username was approved. Well, I am one of the first players of this game and what are the odds for another person to have the same username as mine, right?

“Now just press the accept button when you receive the invite notification in the task bar,” he said and all of us waited for that invitation for us to join in a custom lobby where we can go against each other. I am pretty sure that the game now will be a solo battle royale where all us will be enemies, in the first place we are all enemies competing for that card. This game is the main definition of the strongest takes all. The only way to win this game is to be the last one alive in the battle arena.

Then the most awaited notification in my whole life. I navigated my arrow towards the accept button and it took me to a lobby where most of us are in, maybe 56 participants? But as fast as seconds one by one the other participants entered the lobby until all of us are inside the lobby.

“The match will start soon, prepare yourselves,” after that announcement we are taken into a loading screen where a splash art of their game is displayed. It took a moment for us to get in the preparation arena but I enjoyed it since the splash art is too beautiful to observe. It’s more than I expected from the developers. The price will be high but why do I care since I’m rich.

We are taken into a small island where all of us are gathered, we can shoot or hit each other but our health will not be reduced. I picked one of the guns scattered all around the island, M4-A1 rifle, my kind of thing, I have a semi aggressive play style, where assault rifles are made for. I shoot it on a wall and observed its spray pattern and recoil. I tried to control the spray pattern and recoil of this gun with my mouse control, and since I am new in this game, I did not perfect it in first try but it is understandable since I am new in this game. I kept trying and trying ignoring the noobs who keeps stabbing me with their knife.

Only a minute left till the official match starts, I perfected the spray control of this gun and I think that I am prepared for the game, and if I am lucky enough, I will come across on a M4-A1 after the drop in the plane. 30 seconds remaining and I took a deep breath a cracked my bones in the neck and my knucles.

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One!

“Match start, everyone welcome to PCGG livestream, right now gamers are competing for the limited stocks of GRX 9090. Right now, all of the participants are competing on battle royale where only the top 20 winners in each bracket can only proceed to round 2, we are muting now, GOOD LUCK AND THE WINNER WILL TAKE THE GRX 9090,” after that we are on a plane above an uninhabited island where weapons, kits, and armors are scattered. We don’t know where the high leveled equipment is hidden and I will just listen to my gut instincts right now.

A place called snowy peak, I jumped out of the plane and I pressed alt button to free look without changing the fall direction of my avatar. Many enemies, huh, so I dive straight to a neighborhood so I can reach the ground quickly and I can pick up guns first. The first one who set their foots above ground had the bigger advantage since they can flank angles and houses where enemies might run into. I landed on a roof, and I quickly jumped down to enter a house, but to no luck, shotguns, a level one back pack and a couple of ammos and medical supplies are here.

My indicator showed footsteps icon and I can hear footsteps nearby they saw me entered this house and pros are the ones smart enough to not enter this house if they are playing it safe.

I still hold an angle aiming right through the door in case a noob landed here, that will be fortunate of me since I also care on my kill count. On the top left of my screen, I saw other players already killing others and from 120 there are only 96 of us left. On the top right I can see the icon of the sound cues helping me where are the enemies are. Lucky for me they are willing to give their location for me to hunt them. I walked silently towards the door since no one is willing to enter the house and to not trigger any sound cues that enemy might see.

I opened the door and that instantly I was face to face on one of my enemies, named GrillThemHard, fortunately for me I am carrying a shotgun and as soon I shot the gun by clicking a mouse button, he was dead eliminated forever for the competition of GRX 9090. I immediately went to his loot bag and looted it as quickly as possible since the gun shot will draw nearby enemies.

I got a level 2 armor and helmet that was damaged thanks to my shotgun and an upgraded back pack. Also I got my secondary weapon, an assault rifle but not the M4-A1, the AK-47 assault rifle, and plenty of ammos. I heard footsteps below me as I went straight to the second floor of the other house and got some additional medical supplies. The sound cue disappeared meaning my enemy is taking a cautious approach but to counter that I moved up since the building is a 4 storey building.

Fortunately, the ring appeared and I was inside of it meaning that I will not worry for me to run in a safe zone. Also I can hold this building as a camp killing unaware looters that will give me more score. I crouched so I can’t make any noise while holding the angler while I back off.

I heard an explosion which means someone threw a grenade on the second floor but jokes on him or her, because I am already in the second floor. There are only 84 of us left and my only goal is to make it to top 20, I cannot risk it since I am not that much knowledgeable in this game. 1 minute left until the ring closes.

I decided to hold the angle facing the stair and I placed myself on a spot where the enemy expects it the least, I hope that player is carrying a silencer or a M4-A1 that will increase my chance of winning this game. Moments later, I heard faint footsteps but it does not trigger the sound cues in my indicator and map, that only means the enemy is very near in my location.

I panicked when my screen turned red and a wound indicator where the enemy is shooting, I repeatedly pressed space bar to make it for him harder to aim on me. Fortunately I quickly entered a room where I prepared myself to the gunfight. My health is on 53 right now and more of that shot will surely eliminate me in this round.

Thankfully the enemy earlier is carrying a smoke grenade and I threw it across the room, the enemy is unwise enough to start firing through the smoke where the flash of his or her gun gave me its location, I shot where the flash came from and a notification that I killed, GogooManeqquin.