Delta: Mandel Bricks drop right at the start!

Lin Rui has traveled the route from the eastern section of Dam Zero to the northern dock no less than fifty times in the past two months.

I could recite with my eyes closed which corner has cover and which corridor has an open view that makes it easy to be shot at.

But never before has every step been a matter of life and death.

The perspective function is still working.

He could see two figures crouching around the corner of the corridor a hundred meters ahead. One was carrying a modified AK-74, and the other was holding an M870 shotgun. Both of them had their sights locked on the entrance to the corridor.

"Wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump." Lin Rui stopped in his tracks, turned around, and slipped into the nearby power distribution room.

[Enemy duo detected. Equipment rating: Level 3 armor + Level 3 helmet. Weapon modification level: Medium. Suggested strategy: Detour around the left-hand pipe shaft to avoid direct confrontation.]

The entrance to the pipe shaft is located under an iron plate in the corner of the power distribution room.

Lin Rui squatted down and lifted the iron plate, and a putrid smell, a mixture of rust and dampness, wafted out.

The pipe was narrow, just wide enough for an adult to squeeze in sideways.

He put the P92 pistol in his mouth and used both hands to push himself inside the tube.

Inside the metal pipe, the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against the pipe wall was amplified, making one's teeth ache.

There was no movement at the other end of the corridor. The two players who were lying in wait had their attention focused on the front, waiting for the golden mark to come to them.

The pipe made a turn and led to a vertical ladder shaft.

Lin Rui climbed up the rusty iron ladder, lifted the top manhole cover, and poked his head out.

He had already circled around to behind the two players.

The distance was less than fifteen meters.

One of them had his back to him and was monitoring the corridor through a scope.

Another person leaned against the wall, chewing on a virtual energy bar, their right hand casually resting on a shotgun.

The P92 pistol, 9mm caliber, has negligible armor-piercing capability. Using it to penetrate level 3 armor is like scraping a finger.

However, the Level 3 helmet has a design flaw at the back of the head: there is a gap of about two centimeters between the edge of the helmet and the neck guard, where there is no protection.

This weakness is a lesson Lin Rui learned from dying more than three hundred times.

He quietly climbed out of the manhole, crouched down, raised the P92, and gripped the gun tightly with both hands.

The crosshair was positioned over the two-centimeter gap at the back of the AK player's head.

He pulled the trigger.

boom.

The gunshot echoed through the enclosed corridor.

The AK player didn't even turn around before falling forward. System report: Headshot kill.

The person chewing on an energy bar was so startled by the gunshot that their hand trembled, and the energy bar rolled to the ground.

He instinctively rolled to the left to find cover, but Lin Rui's second shot had already followed.

The first bullet hit his shoulder, and his level 3 armor absorbed most of the kinetic energy.

His rolling motion was thus slowed by half a beat, and the speed at which he raised the shotgun was also slowed by a fraction of a second.

This amount of time is sufficient.

Lin Rui stepped to the right, avoiding the predicted trajectory of the M870 bullets, and fired the third and fourth shots in quick succession, all hitting the enemy's face mask.

The third shot sent sparks flying from the mask.

The fourth shot shattered the mask.

The bullet pierced through.

kill.

"Operator kills x2." The system announced.

Two more boxes appeared on the ground.

Lin Rui quickly crouched down and began searching.

He didn't plan to take the AK-74 or M870; they were too heavy and would slow him down.

He only took the ammunition, two first aid kits, and a level 2 bulletproof plate.

The whole process took less than twenty seconds.

As he stood up, he noticed two more red dots on the radar moving rapidly toward that direction.

There are 280 meters left to the evacuation point.

run.

The next three minutes felt like an eternity.

He was twice targeted by sniper rifles from afar, bullets grazing the concrete pillars beside him and sending up rubble; once, while crossing an open area in the middle of the dam, he was ambushed by soldiers under a bridge pier, whose submachine guns took away a third of his health.

He did not retaliate.

Health points cannot be squandered, ammunition cannot be wasted, and time cannot be stopped.

The only option was to run. Using his X-ray vision, he avoided ambushes in advance and turned the next corner before the bullets caught up with him.

At the edge of the horizon, the red lighthouse at the northern dock came into view, its paint peeling and faded.

The evacuation zone has been activated, and green signal circles are flashing on the ground.

There was a person squatting next to the circle.

X-ray scan: Level 5 armor, Level 5 helmet, wielding a fully equipped HK416 assault rifle with a suppressor. Backpack bulging.

This is the toughest challenge Lin Rui has encountered today.

The other side spotted him too. To be more precise, they were waiting for him; the golden dot on the radar was the most conspicuous bullseye on the entire map.

The player in level 5 armor stood up, pointing his HK416 at Lin Rui. The two were forty meters apart.

The game's in-game voice chat started, and the other player turned on their microphone: "Bro, put the Mandel brick on the ground, and I'll let you go."

Lin Rui ignored him, his gaze quickly sweeping across his surroundings.

To the left are stacks of containers at the dock, to the right is the concrete railing of the breakwater, and in front is the evacuation zone.

Between the two bunkers was a five-meter-long open area.

The P92 pistol is effective against HK416mm bullets against Level 9 armor.

Normal firefights are just suicide missions.

But a new message popped up in the system.

[Target weakness detected: The armor strap under the left armpit is worn, reducing the defense level to level two. Shooting this area will deal effective damage.]

Under the left armpit. That spot is only exposed when the other person raises their gun and aims.

He had to get his bullet into the gap at the same time the other person fired.

"I'll count to three." The level 5 armored soldier opposite began counting, "Three..."

The moment the word "three" was uttered, Lin Rui moved.

Instead of moving forward, he charged towards the container on his left.

The other side reacted extremely quickly, firing their HK416 guns at Lin Rui's figure, the 7.62 caliber bullets carving a series of bullet holes in the ground behind him.

Lin Rui, however, made an unconventional sudden stop and side dodge during his sprint, moving his upper body first and then forcefully following with his lower body, completing the weight transfer in 0.2 seconds.

He slipped into the gap between the shipping containers, leaned against the metal wall, and listened to the crisp sound of HK416 shell casings hitting the ground outside.

The enemy emptied most of their magazine.

The mechanical sound of changing magazines filled the air; the old magazine fell out, the new magazine was inserted, and the bolt was pulled. A gap of one and a half seconds.

Lin Rui leaned out from the gap in the container and raised the P92.

The player in level 5 armor was reloading, his arms raised, and the worn connecting strap under his left armpit was clearly visible.

Bang. Bang.

Two bullets pierced the gap precisely.

The level 5 armor player swayed, losing two-thirds of his health.

His reloading action was interrupted, and the HK416 slipped from his hand.

Lin Rui didn't give him a chance to pick up the gun. He strode forward, used the P92 to get close and fire, and fired the last three bullets into the same spot.

kill.

"Operator kill x1. Total kills this round: 5."

Lin Rui didn't touch the fattest loot bag.

He glanced at his health bar; it was only 12% remaining.

He used up his last first aid kit, his health improved slightly, and the medicine in his backpack was almost gone.

The evacuation zone is just three steps away.

He stepped into the green signal circle and pressed confirm.

"Calling for evacuation helicopters... 30 seconds countdown."

Those thirty seconds felt like an eternity.

At least four or five red dots were approaching the dock in the distance, but thirty seconds later, the sound of helicopter rotors grew louder as a rope ladder descended, and Lin Rui grabbed it.

"Evacuation successful."

"The bureau has obtained the following supplies: Mandel Brick x1, and some miscellaneous supplies."

"Hafcoin settlement in progress..."

The scene cuts back to the safe zone lobby.

Lin Rui's character stood in the virtual military base. The backpack interface popped up, and the Mandel Brick lay quietly in the special items inventory, radiating a warm golden light.

Then, a private system notification popped up, each word striking his heart.

[Should the Mandel bricks be converted into real funds?]

Estimated conversion amount: 10,000,000 RMB.

[Confirm/Cancel]

Lin Rui raised his finger and hovered over the confirmation button, pausing for two seconds.

He pressed it.

[Conversion complete. Funds will be transferred to the linked bank account within 24 hours.]

Lin Rui took off the VR headset.

The lights in the rented room were blinding, so he blinked hard.

His forehead was covered in sweat, and the back of his T-shirt was soaked through.

The sky outside the window turned from afternoon to evening, and the orange-red sunset slanted down onto the question mark-shaped water stain.

The phone rang.

The number used for debt collection.

Lin Rui answered the call, and the husky voice on the other end spoke as usual: "Lin Rui, I'm telling you, three days..."

"Three hundred and seventy thousand, right?" Lin Rui interrupted him. "I'll transfer it to you tomorrow. Principal plus interest, not a penny less."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a few mocking laughs squeezed out from a husky voice: "Hey, you struck it rich? Did you find some money on the street? Or did some idiot lend you some money again?"

"I earned it by playing a game," Lin Rui said, realizing how absurd it all seemed.

The silence on the other end lasted five seconds, then a sneer rang out: "Earn 370,000 playing games? How old do you think I am? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not kidding, you'll know when the money arrives in your account tomorrow."

Lin Rui hung up the phone and tossed it onto the table.

He stared at the VR headset on the table for a long time, his fingertips still lingering on the force feedback from pulling the trigger in the game.

Ten million.

The line of golden numbers kept appearing in his mind, each time making his head feel heavy and his body unsteady.

The feeling was like winning the lottery in a dream, yet the pain from pinching your own thigh was incredibly clear.

The phone screen lit up, and the bank's app pushed a notification:

"Dear customer, there is a pending deposit into your account ending in 3367. The estimated arrival time is..."

Lin Rui held the screen up to his eyes and read the notice seven times, word by word.

The muscles on his face tensed, finally turning into a deep breath, exhaling all the repression and exhaustion.

He picked up the VR headset again and examined the unfamiliar face behind the black mirror of the goggles.

His eyes looked different than they had a few minutes ago.

"One more round?"