Delta: Mandel Bricks drop right at the start!

Elite Challenge Preliminary Round, 10:00 AM.

Lin Rui logged into the competition server five minutes early.

There were already more than twenty contestants walking around in the waiting area of ​​the hall, each with a golden "Contestant" badge hanging next to their ID above their heads.

Firing is not allowed in the waiting area, but you can view other players' public information.

He glanced around at the people around him.

Mr. Cannon hasn't arrived yet.

The chain stood in the corner of the waiting area, and the character was wearing a matte gray combat suit with an HK416 on his back.

The player in position three was adjusting equipment at the equipment station in the distance. His movements were quick, indicating it was a last-minute adjustment before the match.

Awei's message popped up in the friends channel.

"Brother Rui! The number of viewers on the match channel has reached 12,000! Three streamers are commentating on your qualifier match! One of them is Boss Yu!"

Fish Boss, one of the top 100 streamers in the Chinese server, with 23 million followers. He's the one who previously boasted about dissecting Lin Rui's recording frame by frame.

"What is the fishmonger saying?"

"He said... I'll post his exact words from the live stream later..."

Three seconds later, Awei pasted a text over.

"Today's qualifier lineup is tricky. Among the participants are KZ's Artilleryman and offlaner, as well as Chain, who has long dominated both leaderboards. However, I'm personally most concerned about another person, Lin Rui. Everyone knows how much this ID has been discussed on the forums lately: one-shotting Black Gold Lord, single-handedly dismantling the Black Scorpion guild's eight-man raid, and his weak point hit rate seems abnormal. Today is an online tournament, so his gameplay data will be fully recorded by the tournament system, and there won't be any issues with blurry replays or blind spots. If he really has something fishy going on, we'll see it today."

Lin Rui scrolled past Awei's message.

At 10:00 AM sharp, all 32 contestants had arrived.

Mr. Cannon entered the waiting area in the last ten seconds.

His character was the most muscular of all, wearing an extra vest with ammunition pouch over his level 6 armor. He carried a PKP light machine gun on his shoulder, with a heavy ammunition belt hanging from the ammunition box, the copper-cased bullets gleaming metallically under the light.

The countdown in the event system jumped from ten to zero.

Thirty-two people were teleported into the game's dedicated map.

It's still Dam Zero, but the map has been adjusted to a tournament level. All fixed supply points have been randomly reassigned, and the location and opening time of the evacuation points have also been changed.

Each person's birth location is randomly assigned by the system, with a minimum interval of 200 meters.

Lin Rui was left at the observation tower in the northern part of the dam.

Standing on the metal platform on the twelfth floor of the observation tower, he had a wide-open view with drafts on all sides. But this also made him the most conspicuous target at that height.

The perspective scan did not mark anyone within an 85-meter range, and the race system spread out the spawn points widely.

He quickly ran down the stairwell inside the observation tower and found a supply locker on the seventh floor that had been refreshed by the event system.

Open the cabinet. An M87T Zero shotgun and two flashbangs.

He already has a fully upgraded M4A1 and a SCAR-H, so he doesn't need a shotgun, but he did get the flashbangs.

Continue downstairs. On the fifth floor, there was another supply locker containing a medkit and sixty rounds of 5.56 ammunition.

We arrived at the first floor and exited the observation tower.

The tournament rules are simple: 32 players compete simultaneously, with each round lasting 30 minutes. Scoring is based on kills multiplied by 1000, plus the total value of loot carried at the time of withdrawal. The top eight players advance to the offline grand finals.

Within thirty minutes, you must kill as many people as possible while ensuring your own survival and escape.

The fluoroscopic scan extends southward.

Two hundred and fifty meters to the south, there is a red outline moving. This distance is beyond the scanning range and it is just a blurry signal point.

The person was moving westward, not coming in his direction.

Lin Rui chose to advance eastward.

To the east is the dam's industrial zone, densely packed with buildings and supply depots, and also a junction for multiple routes.

According to Awei's analysis, at least five or six players' usual routes pass through the industrial area.

After running 150 meters, the X-ray scan captured the first clear target.

A player crouched at the second-floor window of a factory building on the edge of the industrial zone, holding a rifle with the muzzle pointed at the intersection below the factory.

The ID is not displayed; the information above the heads of non-friendly players is hidden in the tournament mode.

However, his equipment—level 5 armor and a modified M4A1—is considered above average among players.

Lin Rui did not walk through the intersection.

He went around to the back of the factory building.

Behind the factory building was a solid wall without windows, and at the base of the wall were several rusty iron barrels.

The X-ray scan showed that the person did not move from the window on the second floor, and his attention was entirely focused on the direction of the intersection.

There is an entrance to a ventilation duct at the back corner of the factory, following the same seepage route as before.

Lin Rui crawled inside.

The space inside the pipe was narrower than the previous transfer station, so he could only push forward sideways.

The metal pipe made a slight sound as his clothes rubbed against it, but it wasn't enough to reach the second-floor window.

The pipes branch off on the second floor, one leading to the room on the east side and the other towards the window.

He chose the east side.

The pipes emerged from the ventilation opening in the east room, and the sound of them hitting the ground was mostly absorbed by the scraps of paper and dust beneath their feet.

There is an inner wall separating the room from the window, and on the inner wall is a door frame with the door panel removed.

Through the doorway, he could see the back of the player lying in ambush.

The other person was holding an M4A1, with the scope pressed against their eye, and all their attention was focused on the view outside the window.

three meters.

Lin Rui raised the SCAR-H.

But he didn't fire. Footsteps came from the direction of the intersection outside the window. Someone was indeed walking towards the intersection.

The player lying in ambush leaned forward slightly and placed his finger on the trigger.

Lin Rui took a half step back and pressed himself against the other side of the inner wall. He decided to wait.

Let them fight first.

At the intersection, two contestants were crouching low, using the abandoned car as cover to advance in turns, completely unaware that someone was waiting behind the window above them.

The ambushing players opened fire. The bursts of M4A1 fire echoed through the enclosed factory, and scalding hot spent cartridge cases ejected from the ejection port, clattering and clanging as they hit the floor.

Gunfire erupted outside the window.

One of the two players was hit, and the other rolled behind the car to retaliate.

The bullets struck the wall outside the second-floor window, sending shards of stone flying.

The ambushing player retreated to the window and continued attacking from a different angle.

After a 30-second gunfight, one of the two players at the crossroads fell, while the other, with low health, was dragged into a roadside building.

The player lying in ambush ran out of ammunition in his M4A1 magazine, so he crouched down to reload.

Lin Rui walked out from behind the door frame.

With the SCAR-H against his shoulder, he pulled the trigger twice at the target two meters away.

The reload animation was interrupted, and the person's health bar was instantly emptied by two 7.62mm close-range attacks.

First kill. The tournament system popped up a line of small text on the right side of the screen.

He took the ammunition and a first-aid kit from the man's box, then went to the window and glanced out.

The player who fell at the intersection has turned into a loot box, while the other player with low health is in the building across the street, probably receiving first aid.

Lin Rui didn't chase after the remaining blood. He turned and left the factory, continuing eastward.

In the tournament's scoring system, kills are important, but the value of loot is equally crucial. He needs to maintain efficient looting while eliminating enemies.

The central area of ​​the industrial zone is a triangular area enclosed by three large factory buildings.

The X-ray scan marked four supply points and two moving players in this area.

The two contestants were exchanging gunfire in the North Noodle Factory in the triangular area, with the gunfire being intense and continuous.

Lin Rui circled around from the south noodle factory into the central open space of the triangular area. While the two were locked in a fierce fight, he crouched behind an overturned forklift and opened a competition supplies box in the open space.

The supply crate contained a level 4 armor plate and a purple-quality pistol.

The level 4 armor plate was useless, and the pistol was lost, but there was a bound tactical item at the bottom of the box: a signal jammer.

Once activated, the signal jammer can disable radar markers within a 30-meter range for one minute. This is a key item in the game.

Received.

The gunfire at the North Noodles factory stopped. Someone had died.

The X-ray scan showed that the surviving player was walking towards the central open area.

His health was low, and his armor was badly damaged, but the weapon in his hand made Lin Rui pause for a moment.

A PKP light machine gun.

Brass-colored ammunition belts extended from the ammunition boxes, reflecting a dangerous glint in the sunlight at the factory entrance.

Mr. Fortress.

As he walked out of the North Noodles factory gate, his gaze first swept to the left, then to the right, before finally settling on the front.

Lin Rui crouched behind the forklift, fifty meters away from him.

Fifty meters. The PKP's advantage range far exceeds this number, and once suppressed by fire, even cover like a forklift won't last more than a few seconds.

Lin Rui's gaze locked onto a detail: Mr. Cannon's PKP gun was pointing diagonally downwards.

He is moving.

The pattern described in Awei's report was that Mr. Gunner never fired while moving; he had to find a fixed cover position to set up his gun before firing. The transition time from moving to firing position was about two seconds.

two seconds.

Lin Rui stood up from behind the forklift.

With the M4A1 mounted in the shoulder socket, the crosshairs of the pinhole scope were aimed at the moving gun emplacement fifty meters away.

Mr. Fort saw him.

The two men made eye contact from fifty meters apart; one was moving, while the other had already set up his gun.

Mr. Cannon reacted extremely quickly.

He had already begun to change positions the moment he saw Lin Rui, shifting his PKP from a downward firing position to a horizontal firing position.

The gun barrel is raised, both hands are gripped tightly, and the ammunition belt is pulled straight.

one second.

Lin Rui fired three shots in that one second.

The M4A1's 5.56mm warhead has a flight time of less than 0.2 seconds at a distance of 50 meters.

Three bullets hit Mr. Cannon's level 6 armor before he could even turn his PKP into position.

The front chest plate of level 6 armor is the hardest armor area in the entire game.

Three shots of 5.56 only reduced the durability by 12%.

Mr. Cannon's PKP is in place.

He didn't stay where he was. He took two steps to the left and found the front of an abandoned truck at the edge of the open space. PKP's kickstand was placed on the hood of the truck.

The guns are now set up.

A burst of fire erupted from PKP's gun muzzle.

7.62×54mm bullets rained down at a rate of 650 rounds per minute, riddling the forklift's metal body with holes, sending shards of metal and sparks flying in all directions.

Lin Rui huddled under the forklift's drive shaft, his body pressed tightly against the ground.

The chassis is only 30 centimeters off the ground, just enough to accommodate his sideways body.

The bullets whizzed past his head and sides, leaving a series of bullet holes in the concrete ground behind him.

After four seconds of sustained pressure, PKP stopped.

Reload.

The PKP has a large belt-fed ammunition box capacity, but once it runs out, the reload time is also long, about three and a half seconds.

Lin Rui did not launch a direct counterattack during the three and a half seconds of reloading.

He flipped out from under the forklift, rolled twice to the right, and then got up and sprinted at full speed.

Instead of charging towards Mr. Fortress, they charged towards the corner of the western factory building in the triangular area.

He was pulling the gun line.

Mr. Cannon finished reloading in three seconds, PKP repositioned himself, and turned his gun towards the direction where Lin Rui had disappeared.

But Lin Rui had already disappeared behind the corner of the noodle factory building.

From Mr. Paotai's perspective, there was only an empty wall in front of him, and Lin Rui was behind the wall, but his exact location was unknown.

If he wants to maintain his PKP dominance, he must change his position and find an angle where he can see behind the wall.

But switching positions means he has to leave the cover of the truck cab, return to a mobile state, and expose that two-second window of vulnerability again.

Lin Rui waited behind the corner for six seconds.

In the perspective of X-ray vision, Mr. Cannon did not move.

He was still crouching behind the truck cab, PKP strapped to his back, staring at the corner of the wall.

He was waiting for Lin Rui to show himself first.

The two sides reached a standoff.

But Lin Rui has X-ray vision.

He could see every tiny movement of Mr. Cannon: the position of his fingers, the direction of his helmet visor, and the point of support for his feet.

He could also see that there was an entrance to a drainage ditch five meters to the left of the corner where he was, and the ditch led north along the underground pipe network of the industrial area, to the back of Mr. Fort's truck bunker.

Lin Rui squatted down in the drainage ditch.

The drainage ditch was only a little over a meter deep, requiring one to stoop to walk through it. Pipes and cables on the ceiling occasionally scraped against his helmet.

After walking about forty meters along the drainage ditch, he found an exit.

The exit is located at the base of the outer wall of the North Noodle Factory, about 15 meters to the left of the rear of Mr. Fort's truck bunker.

He poked half his body out of the drain.

Mr. Cannon was still staring at the south corner of the wall. His back was completely exposed.

At this distance and angle, the M4A1 can penetrate the back plate of a level 6 armor in one second.

Lin Rui braced the stock of his M4A1 against his shoulder. Through the pinhole scope, the level 6 armor backplate on Mr. Turret's back occupied most of the scope.

The trigger had barely been pulled halfway when Boss Yu's booming commentary came through Awei's spectator channel:

"Wait a minute! Lin Rui has been gone for eight seconds! Mr. Cannon is still waiting for him to come out from the corner! But there's a drainage ditch on the map, that route... he couldn't be..."

The fishmonger hadn't finished speaking.

The M4A1 opened fire.

Six bullets struck Mr. Cannon from a distance of fifteen meters behind him in the back.

The back plate of the Level 6 armor developed its first crack after being hit by six consecutive 5.56mm bullets.

The impact of the bullet caused Mr. Cannon's body to sway forward.

He tried to turn around, but the heavy body of the PKP slowed his reaction time by more than a second.

Lin Rui was given a second round.

All four shots hit the same area of ​​the crack in the backplate.

The durability of the level 6 armor's back dropped from 54% to 11%, and the tenth bullet pierced through the crack.

Mr. Cannon's health bar dropped by one-third.

He finally turned around, and PKP's gun barrel swept towards him. But Lin Rui had already retreated into the drainage ditch.

PKP's firepower struck the cement edge of the drainage ditch outlet, and debris landed on Lin Rui's head.

"Dude." Lin Rui squatted in the drainage ditch, changing the magazine.

From the perspective of the camera, Mr. Turret abandoned the truck cover and began to retreat eastward.

But he is moving.

A two-second window of inactivity.

Lin Rui climbed onto the ground through another outlet of the drainage ditch.

Thirty meters to the east, Mr. Cannon was running in the alley between two factory buildings, PKP's gun pointed downwards.

The M4A1 fired again.

Five shots, four hit. They struck the already cracked backplate of the level 6 armor.

The armor's durability reached zero, the backplate shattered and fell off, revealing the tactical vest underneath.

Mr. Cannon ran to the back of a shipping container at the end of the alley and squatted down. PKP remounted the top edge of the container.

But his health was down to 40%, and the back of his armor was destroyed.

Lin Rui stood at the other end of the alley, holding the M4A1 in his hand.

Thirty meters. Head-on confrontation.

Mr. Cannon's PKP fired first.

A dense hail of bullets swept straight through the alleyway.

Lin Rui did not retreat. He took a step to the right, then walked three steps along the right wall of the alley, keeping the direction in which his gun was pointed unchanged.

PKP's bullets swept across his body.

The wall was riddled with bullet holes as he passed, and rubble and dust exploded behind him.

He stepped on the edge of the trajectory with every step.

The PKP's bullet trajectory has an inherent lateral deviation; when recoil is controlled, there is a slight leftward deviation every six bullets.

He seized that gap to the left, squeezing out a firing window amidst the hail of bullets.

The M4A1 returned fire from the edge of the wall.

Five shots hit Mr. Cannon's exposed chest area. The front of his Level 6 armor was still intact, but the back was shattered. The shockwave from the bullets hitting him from the front was transmitted to his torso through the damaged back plate structure.

The damage was amplified by 30%.

Mr. Cannon's health bar dropped from 40% to 15%.

PKP stopped firing. Not to reload, but because Mr. Turret abandoned the attack, stood up from behind the container, and turned to run.

Lin Rui raised his gun.

The last three bullets from the M4A1 flew past thirty meters away, passing through the shattered fragments of the level 6 armor, and struck Mr. Cannon in the back.

Health bar reduced to zero.

[Kill: Mr. Turret. Tournament Points +1000.]

Mr. Cannon's body lay beside the shipping container. Equipment was scattered all over the ground.

The PKP in his hand fell to the concrete ground, the ammunition belt came apart, and bronze-colored bullet casings rolled all over the ground.

Lin Rui walked over, squatted down in front of the box, and began to rummage through it.

In Boss Yu's live stream, the barrage of comments was so fast that the content was impossible to read.

The fishmonger remained silent for a full four seconds before speaking.

"Who taught him to draw the firing line like that?"

The number of viewers in the live stream jumped from 12,000 to 38,000.