Chapter 652: Chasing Dreams?
With better gear now, Old P had more confidence. Earlier, running around with an S686 in open fields was just asking to get killed, but now with a SCAR equipped with a red dot sight, he felt much more assured.
He strongly suspected that he was the only person left in P City. The guy earlier had taken out the other two, then delivered a care package straight to him.
But the outside wasn't necessarily safe, because P City was already on the edge of the safe zone. There was no telling if players from School, R City, or Y City to the northeast might come running over.
"Hmm? Sounds like a vehicle, from the east."
Old P cautiously hid behind a low wall, checking the direction of the engine noise.
He noticed that all the sounds in this game were very distinct, especially footsteps—it seemed like they'd been deliberately amplified. As long as you stayed highly focused and had decent ears, you could accurately determine an enemy's position, actions, and numbers.
It was a jeep, a convertible. Through the windshield, he could see the driver wearing a Level 3 helmet. This guy clearly had no intention of stopping in P City; he seemed to be planning to drive straight to the center of the safe zone.
Old P hesitated about whether to shoot. The guy was a bit far away, and with that Level 3 helmet, he might not be able to kill him.
Just then, Old P heard a burst of gunfire from behind a rock in the distance!
The jeep's windshield shattered instantly. The shooter was clearly aiming directly at the driver, not trying to hit the vehicle itself.
The driver was obviously startled and jumped straight out of the jeep—only to turn into a loot box on impact...
Old P: "..."
When a vehicle's speed exceeds 30, jumping out causes damage. This jeep had been going fast, so even with a roll, the fall dealt heavy damage. The guy had already taken a couple of shots and lost some health, so jumping out killed him outright.
The shooter happily ran over to loot the box, but Old P took advantage of him leaving cover. He braced his SCAR with the red dot sight and sprayed a burst of fire!
Shooting the driver inside a vehicle was tricky, but hitting someone running around in the open was easy. Old P's aim was solid, and he fired off a series of precise shots at the guy.
The guy panicked. He was out in the open with no cover, so he just dropped prone on the spot...
This was clearly an ostrich move, a common mistake among newbies. Old P didn't hold back and finished him off with a few more shots.
After the gunfire died down, Old P waited for a while. No one else appeared.
After these two incidents, Old P had learned his lesson. Don't rush to loot after a kill—you never know if some other sneaky player is lurking nearby, waiting to pick off the victor.
Soon, the blue zone was about to shrink again. This time, the safe zone was below P City, covering the west bridgehead of the airport, the farm, and a stretch of wilderness.
Old P cautiously ran to the jeep and grabbed the supplies from both boxes. Inside, there was a Level 3 helmet, some assorted ammo, medical supplies, and so on.
"Jackpot! Seems like killing people is the fastest way to get rich."
Old P sighed contentedly, but he was also puzzled—why hadn't he seen a single sniper rifle yet?
...
Actually, there were plenty of sniper rifles on the map. But most of these players were newbies who thought guns like the 98K were impractical, so they just didn't pick them up.
Another batch of eliminated players climbed out of their game pods, but their reactions were completely different from the earlier group.
"Oh man, what a shame! I panicked when I got shot and jumped out of the car..."
"Was that you who jumped? I'm the one who shot you, but then I got ambushed too, damn it!"
"When does the next round start? I want to play again!"
Unlike the first batch who died on landing, these players had mostly gotten kills in the game and found some good loot, so they were eager for another round.
Over in the holographic spectator area, the audience was letting out gasps of excitement.
"Whoa, another case of the fisherman reaping the rewards!"
"Hey, isn't that the streamer Old P's name? Is that really him? He's so sneaky!"
"Looks like you need to stay patient in this game. Can't rush it. See those guys who think they're good shots and charge out to kill? They all ended up as delivery packages..."
"Yeah, no matter how good your gear is, it's useless. If someone ambushes you, one magazine and you're done."
The spectators in the holographic area were thrilled. This game mode was totally different from traditional FPS games, and the excitement was several levels higher!
In traditional FPS games, whether it's bomb defusal or team deathmatch, the pace is usually fast, but each round doesn't feel that meaningful. After a few rounds, you can basically tell which team is stronger, and the suspense fades.
But "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" was different. The game was full of suspense from start to finish. You never knew who would win until the very end. Plus, there was a lot of strategic mind games involved. Figuring out how to use sneaky tactics to put yourself in a better position was clearly an art in itself.
"Whoa, only 18 players left! The blue zone is getting smaller and smaller!"
"And look at this zone—part of it is in the water?"
"Hey, there's a guy who jumped off the bridge into the sea. Is he planning to hide in the water?"
The players in the game didn't know what others were doing, but the audience could see everything clearly.
Only 18 players remained, and they were all being extra cautious. In the open fields, most players were crawling on the ground. One player had even jumped into the water, hugging the shore to hide, apparently planning to survive until the very end.
Old P drove the jeep to a hillside and carefully surveyed the surroundings.
Just then, a plane flew overhead, rumbling loudly.
As it passed over the farm and bridge area, an airdrop fell.
"Airdrop?!"
Old P was startled. It was pretty close to him.
He'd seen a few airdrops from a distance earlier, but they were too far away, and he didn't dare go for them. Even though the guidebook said they had good stuff, Old P figured too many people would be fighting over them, so he didn't risk it.
But now, the airdrop was about to land very close to him. Not exactly right on his head, but close enough. If he drove over, he could even reach it before it hit the ground.
"Go, or not?"
Old P was conflicted. The airdrop would definitely attract a lot of attention. Even if people didn't rush to grab it, they'd be watching from a distance, ready to shoot anyone who tried.
After a moment of thought, Old P gritted his teeth. "Go! If a man doesn't have a dream, what's the difference between him and a salted fish?"