Captain, I Beg You to Give Me an Official Status [E-sports] - Chapter 10

The match began, and sixty-four players entered the game.

The training match maps for Exclusive were set as two rounds of 【Shennan Island】, two rounds of 【Beiyu Winter Sea】, and two rounds of 【City of Magic】, matching the format of official tournaments. Sixteen teams and sixty-four players competed simultaneously. As the safe zone continuously shrank, only the last team standing could unlock the champion’s chest.

As soon as the flight path appeared, Xu Ziqi said over the communications, “We can go home. Paipai and I will grab vehicles by the roadside. You two jump straight to the housing area and scavenge for gear.”

Yan, being young and cheerful, quickly responded, “Got it.”

Xu Ziqi was already skydiving. Shifting his perspective, he saw no one else nearby and immediately began observing the roadside where he was about to land. His voice was low but clear. “I have a four-seater under me. Do you have a vehicle on your end?”

Paipai had already touched down. “I have a two-seater coupe.”

Xu Ziqi said, “Good. Let us head back and loot first.”

Just as he finished speaking, Xu Ziqi checked the time and opened the mini-map. Three seconds later, he saw the first safe zone refresh.

The TK Team’s designated spot on this map was in the northeast corner, a relatively wealthy four-corner housing area. However, the first safe zone completely excluded the four of them, shifting directly toward the south.

Sitting in the car, Xu Ziqi drove while saying, “There is a high probability it will shift to Shengsheng Island. Move fast. From our position, we will cross directly via the East Bridge.”

Yan had already scavenged two good guns and was searching the large factory outside the housing area. “My guns are pretty good, but I have not found a helmet yet, and I am missing some attachments.”

Xu Ziqi had also reached his position and quickly began looting. He asked in a low voice, “Duo Ming? How is your gear?”

It was the first time Sheng Huanian had heard this ID come from Xu Ziqi’s mouth.

A brief hesitation and a momentary pause in his movements revealed a trace of fluster in the one being called.

Sheng Huanian resumed controlling his character. “I have a level two helmet and vest. I have not found many throwables, but my medical supplies are okay.”

“Guns?”

“M4 and Mini.”

“Alright.” Xu Ziqi also picked up an M416 and said softly, “Loot for a bit longer. Mark anything extra.”

Their side was peaceful. Generally, the first and second circle refreshes do not trigger much combat unless teams are fighting over a specific spot. Otherwise, the first few minutes of a match are usually quiet.

Xu Ziqi watched the elimination feed in the top left corner, keeping count as he spoke. “Two for four. Vespera is out; Wing has two left.”

The rivalry between Vespera and Wing over this specific location on the map had lasted for two seasons. Both wanted the villa area in the center of the circle. Since they could not resolve it through private communication, they had to rely on their firepower to decide who owned the spot.

Paipai asked, “They are still rolling for the spot even in a trial match?”

Xu Ziqi had finished looting most of his gear. “Let them roll.” He asked while walking out of the housing area, “I have a DBS here. Who wants it?”

Yan spoke up first, “I have one. Give it to them.”

Paipai was the second to reply, asking, “Does Duo Ming have one?”

Sheng Huanian spoke calmly, “No.”

Paipai immediately said, “Then give it to him.”

Xu Ziqi was already on the move, vaulting through a window to find Sheng Huanian. Reaching him, he took the DBS off his back and placed it on the floor. “For you.” He added, “There is an extra 3x scope. Take that too.”

Sheng Huanian said, “I only found a Mini. I have a 6x.”

Xu Ziqi immediately picked up the gun and said quickly, “Fine, that works perfectly. Move out once you are ready. We are heading straight to the island via the East Bridge.”

The four divided into two vehicles to begin their journey. Midway, Sheng Huanian hopped out and got into another two-seater coupe by the road. Following that, their three vehicles circled toward the East Bridge. The grey coupe driven by Xu Ziqi was in the lead, clearing the way for those behind.

“Check the gas station at the bridgehead as we pass. Scavenge some medical supplies.”

Their position was good. They were the earliest to move among the eastern teams. Barring any accidents, they should be able to reach the island smoothly.

In the official live stream, the commentator had just passionately finished describing a team fight on the west side of the map. The situation was currently peaceful, so the camera switched to the TK Team. On the screen, their three vehicles successfully landed on the island. Xu Ziqi got out at the bridgehead and entered a high-rise building.

The male commentator quickly spoke up, “The movement from TK is very fast. They went straight to the island and can now gatekeep the teams coming in behind them.”

Xu Ziqi was thinking the same thing. They split into pairs, occupying the advantageous buildings at the bridgehead, waiting to collect “road tolls.”

Sheng Huanian and Xu Ziqi were in the same high-rise. He found an MK20 in a small compartment and immediately said over the microphone, “MK20.”

Xu Ziqi was at the highest point. “For me?”

“Yes.” Sheng Huanian had already reached the rooftop terrace. He delivered the gun to Xu Ziqi and conveniently dropped a Level 3 helmet. “The helmet is for you.”

Xu Ziqi did not stand on ceremony. He took off his Level 2 helmet and equipped the MK20. “Thanks.”

The official live stream caught this exact scene. The director seemed to understand where the focus of this training match lay. As long as no teams were fighting, the camera was generally fixed on the TK Team.

【Good! In this position with an MK20, ZD can go on a sniping spree again.】

【The rookie is quite sensible, proactively giving up the Level 3 helmet.】

【Please let the circle center here! If this spot is the center, it will be amazing. The island circle rhythm from TK is actually quite good.】

【Am I the only one who thinks these two are cute together? Two handsome faces are so good for my eyes!】

【Not cute. The two fanbases have been fighting on the forums for days. Duo Ming targets ZD so much, so how can you ship them?】

The male commentator was a blunt person who loved a bit of showmanship. Seeing the prominent chat, he laughed. “You guys want to ship anything. You really are daring.”

【I will ship them anyway!】

【They even have a Super Topic set up. If you like it, go give it a follow.】

【The Super Topic name is ‘Duo Ming Dao’. Nothing we can do, the names are too aggressive, but we are not scary at all! Come play with us in the Super Topic, welcome!】

【I have to speak up for ZD. Why is his name in the back position?】

【Why else? Because of that innocent face.】

【My baby has so many pairings, so why is he on the back end this time? I cannot ship this. The key is that the two of them really are not close, so what is there to ship?】

The chat was still debating the order of the names, but when the second safe zone refreshed, the comments stopped arguing and became surprisingly consistent.

【? ? ?】

【Incredible.】

【A scam circle! It actually shifted back!】

The male commentator, never one to shy away from chaos, smiled even wider. “Oh, this north-shift refresh has really played with the players on the field! Originally, two-thirds of the area was on the island, but this one shift has almost pushed the island out entirely! The six teams that already crossed over must be feeling very uncomfortable right now. It depends on how they choose to move.”

The moment the circle refreshed, Paipai could not help but curse quietly in the team voice chat, “Oh, for heaven’s sake.”

Xu Ziqi looked at the map, clearly understanding the situation. He knew there were two remnant teams at the East Bridgehead, so driving straight through was impossible. He did not think for more than a few seconds. When making a decision, his voice was always steady and decisive. “Do not move. Hold the teams behind us, or see if the ones at the bridgehead start fighting. See if there is an opportunity to third-party.”

Sheng Huanian replied, “Understood.”

The other two were also very obedient, keeping track of surrounding information.

Because the circle shift was extreme, team fights quickly erupted on the small island.

Xu Ziqi’s position had a high-ground advantage, allowing him to snipe the two teams fighting on the mountain peak ahead. Holding an MK20 with plenty of ammunition, he crouched on the terrace and landed a headshot, knocking down an opponent who had peeked out.

This knockdown caused the two probing teams to clash instantly. Gunfire rang out continuously. Xu Ziqi sniped while recording information. “Two knocked down on both sides.”

The person he had knocked down was finished off by the other team, so TK currently had no kill points.

Sheng Huanian observed from a second-floor window, also looking for an opening. He asked in a low voice, “Should we move in?”

Xu Ziqi immediately said, “There are still lines of fire from further away. They will definitely try to third-party. Let us wait a bit longer.”

Another team further away was facing the circle refresh first and would definitely want to move before TK. Xu Ziqi kept observing, dealing a lot of damage but failing to secure any kills. “They are coming to third-party. Paipai, get in the car. Prepare to move.”

Paipai immediately jumped out the window and into the car. “Okay, we can move anytime!”

Xu Ziqi’s voice grew louder, but remained stable. “You also get ready with the vehicle. I can cover the whole area from here. The three of you charge straight to the nearby slope.”

Sheng Huanian was ready and nodded. “Okay.”

Watching the knockdowns appear on the left, Xu Ziqi confirmed that the three-way fight resulted in multiple downs. He said, “Move! I can cover you.”

“I can cover you.” Those words provided a great sense of security.

Two vehicles charged toward that mountain almost simultaneously.

The commentator’s voice was loud, even more excited than the viewers. “TK is coming to third-party! One covering, three charging! The teammates of ZD have reached close range! Yan is the first to charge the hilltop and knocks one down, while 5Stars is reviving someone in the smoke. That position is very safe; TK is not sure of the exact location of the opponent and does not dare to take the mountain directly. They still need to find an opening from the slope.”

Just as he finished, Sheng Huanian, who had stopped on the side, threw a cooked grenade. Using both guns and grenades, a double knockdown message quickly appeared in the top left.

Yan immediately shouted, “Nice!”

Xu Ziqi’s cover fire made it impossible for the opponents to take the high ground. Seeing the knockdowns, he had no time for praise. He said over the microphone, “Take the ground directly! It is a three-on-two-on-one at close range. I am coming over!”

The other two teams were in poor condition and had no time to heal. They could only rely on smoke grenades to confuse their opponents.

The youthful voice of Paipai was the most prominent as he shouted urgently, “Follow me, follow me! In the smoke!”

Yan responded loudly, “Got it, got it! I am with you!”

Sheng Huanian charged up alone with a shotgun and killed the lone wolf face-to-face with a single blast. Without a word, he quickly finished the job and charged toward the other cluster of smoke. After Yan was knocked down by the opponent, Sheng Huanian traded the kill for him.

“Oh.” Yan thought he was about to be finished off, but a dark shadow appeared and accurately blasted the last opponent to death. He shouted excitedly, “Nice, nice! Save me, quick!”

Sheng Huanian crouched down to revive him. In the headset, the sound of a vehicle arrived along with the voice of Xu Ziqi.

Xu Ziqi was behind them, using a tree as cover. “A car is coming! Paipai, your position…”

“Need to smoke.” Xu Ziqi did not finish his sentence.

Paipai was knocked down by a line of fire from the side, and Sheng Huanian, being close by, could not continue reviving his teammate.

Xu Ziqi raised his gun from behind the tree and sprayed the vehicle, taking more than half the health from the two people inside. However, he was also heavily damaged by the person in the passenger seat and barely managed to retreat with a sliver of health. He could not fight anymore and could only warn, “They are low, both are low.”

The car drove through the smoke, and Sheng Huanian happened to avoid it. Emerging from the smoke, he saw the two people attacking him.

One shot hit. One shot missed.

Fortunately, Xu Ziqi had healed up behind him. With a magazine of bullets, he coordinated with Sheng Huanian to wipe out the two-man squad.

The two teammates on the ground were more excited than they were. “Nice!”

Xu Ziqi quickly ran to Paipai, who was almost out of health, and said calmly, “Revive them.”

Sheng Huanian replied, “Mm.”

However, there was still one more team.

This was the nature of that mountain. Once a team fight broke out, people from all directions would come to third-party. If the mountain were inside the circle, it would be fine. But the key now was that the island had been pushed out, and the gatekept teams chose to fight for points instead.

The newcomers were a full squad, the team that had been the most patient on the island.

Sheng Huanian, inside the smoke, was not as lucky this time. He was knocked down by a vehicle just one second before he could revive Yan.

Although Xu Ziqi successfully revived Paipai, the two of them, who had no time to fully heal, eventually fell under the pincer fire. They were unable to resist any further.

They finished tenth in this match. Although they received no placement points, they earned seven elimination points.

The viewers seeing these intense scenes were mostly full of praise.

【Good coordination! Seven elimination points is a win, since it was hard to cross the bridge anyway.】

【The timing of the third-party was good, but could they have waited a bit longer?】

【We have a god-view. How was TK supposed to know more people were coming? They took two waves and played very well with good coordination.】

【They should not have tried to revive. It felt like Duo Ming could have made a play from that position if he had not stopped to revive.】

【Stop complaining. TK played well. This lineup really has potential!】

The commentator also offered praise. “TK played this wave perfectly. They won every fight they could. Trading this circle for points is not a loss. I feel the four of them have synergy. The close-range combat of Duo Ming is truly strong; he won both of those one-on-one duels. Let us wait for the next game. TK did their best in this one.”

Taking off his headset, Xu Ziqi remained calm. He picked up his water cup and took a large drink. Seeing the others remove their headsets, he said as he stood up, “We played well.”

Sheng Huanian was still sitting in his seat, silently reflecting.

If he had moved a little faster, or revived the teammate a second earlier, there might have been a chance to make a play.

Lot, sitting next to the big screen, looked toward the four of them and said, “Let us do a quick review.”

Holding his water cup, Xu Ziqi said quickly, “I am going to get some water. I will be back soon.”

Lot nodded. “Alright.”

When Xu Ziqi returned to the training room, he held his water cup in his left hand and three bottles of mineral water in his right. He walked directly to the desk of Sheng Huanian, which was the closest, and leaned over to temporarily place the three bottles there.

Sheng Huanian did not move. His slightly lowered gaze shifted slowly, seeing a slender hand with prominent veins.

Xu Ziqi did not care that there was only a hand’s width of distance between him and Sheng Huanian. He stood there and began distributing the water. Only after the other two had taken theirs did he return to his own seat and sit down.

Lot said in a low voice, “Alright, let us take a look at that last fight.”

The eyes of Sheng Huanian were fixed on the replay of the match, but the thoughts in his mind had already drifted far away, turning into an invisible butterfly and landing on the shoulder of someone.