Cheng Yu ran to the window and saw Lu Manman had already jumped out of the first-floor window, standing behind the house aiming at the nearby thicket of trees.

The sniper, who had given away his position by shooting at Cheng Yu, was now in Lu Manman’s sights. She circled around the house and took him down with a single shot.

With the surroundings cleared, Cheng Yu came out of the house and handed all the ammunition supplies to Lu Manman.

“You should also carry some,” Lu Manman said.

“I have some,” Cheng Yu patted her waist pouch, “But you are in charge of firepower, so stick close to you.”

“Got it.”

The two hurried towards the final showdown circle, having lost the inherent advantage due to the time they spent earlier. The enemy had already set up ambushes on all sides of the final circle, ready to unleash a barrage of firepower the moment they showed up, making them vulnerable targets.

But with only a few minutes left, if they didn’t enter the final circle now, they would be eliminated immediately. Every move was crucial.

“Same old rules,” Cheng Yu said to Lu Manman, “I’ll support your firepower output. Win this round, and we’ll have hot pot for dinner tonight.”

Lu Manman replied while running, “Don’t die. Eating chicken hot pot alone is no fun.”

Cheng Yu patted Lu Manman’s shoulder firmly, then dashed into the final circle.

Meanwhile, Lu Manman hid behind a tree on the slope, equipped with a suppressor on her sniper rifle, holding her breath and focusing intently on Cheng Yu.

As Cheng Yu entered the final circle, several gunshots rang out from all directions. The grass and branches around her were scattered by bullets, but none hit their mark.

Despite her evasive maneuvers and the scattering of gunpowder around her, not a single shot landed on Cheng Yu.

She moved skillfully around the final circle, drawing numerous attacks that exposed the positions of the opponents ambushing around the circle.

With time running out, Lu Manman calmly and effortlessly eliminated the players hidden around the circle with her precise shots.

As time dwindled, Lu Manman seized the opportunity and rushed into the final circle, taking cover behind a tree.

The watch displayed that there was one team left.

Lu Manman’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings like a hawk, searching for opponents lurking in hidden spots.

Meanwhile, just ten meters away, Zhou Jialiang attached a suppressor to his rifle and cautiously approached Lu Manman.

Crouched behind the tree, Lu Manman continued to survey the area for enemies.

Zhou Jialiang, unsure if his marksmanship would be accurate from the distance, carefully closed the gap between them.

He knew he had only one shot. If he missed, he would lose this round. Facing an opponent armed with an m4, a woman who had fought her way from school competitions to the national finals, he knew she wouldn’t give him a second chance to turn the tables.

As she remained unaware of his presence, Zhou Jialiang inched closer, each step taken with extreme caution, even the slightest crack of a twig underfoot made him fear detection.

Fortunately, her attention was solely focused on the safe area ahead. If she assumed all enemies were hiding within the safe zone and decided to risk observing from outside the area, thinking she was the only one taking such a chance to avoid elimination, she would be gravely mistaken.

This was a strategy of making a desperate stand to turn the tables.

Stopping just five meters away from her, Zhou Jialiang raised his gun slowly.

Beneath his feet, the sound of twigs and leaves breaking was barely audible, a faint “crunch.”

Zhou Jialiang raised his gun, aiming at Lu Manman’s back, slightly tilting his head to look through the scope.

Suddenly, a figure flashed through the scope.

Before Zhou Jialiang could react, he was already marked with a few colorful powder traces.

Leaning against the tree, Lu Manman taunted him with a slight head gesture.

Enraged, Zhou Jialiang threw his gun, realizing she had caught him!

Her reaction was too swift, but he couldn’t believe she had just noticed. She must have been aware all along, luring him in.

Zhou Jialiang was eliminated, making a throat-slitting gesture towards Lu Manman.

Luckily, there was still a teammate lurking in the hidden grass, Chen Jingming, last year’s double champion in points and ranking.

As the provincial champion last year, he reached the top eight in the national competition. This year, both he and Lu Manman made it to the national finals, setting the stage for an intense battle in the final showdown.

….

In the final seconds, Lu Manman rushed into the final showdown circle, and at the same time, rapid gunfire erupted around her.

Pop, pop, pop.

With no shelter in sight, the nearest tree was about thirteen meters to the southeast.

She understood their tactic.

Zhou Jialiang had pushed Lu Manman into the final circle, while Chen Jingming, who had been lurking in the shadows, seized the opportunity to make a decisive move.

Each move connected like a chain, similar to when they paid off Cheng Yu’s family to cause a scene at school, followed by hiring online trolls to smear her reputation.

Lu Manman had witnessed many girls at American campuses fighting for positions like cheerleading captain or lead singer in the choir, as well as instances in professional teams where teammates betrayed each other for personal gain…

In any case, there were too many instances of such conflicts.

Where there are interests involved, conflicts are inevitable. Life is naturally combative.

But the battlefield is a straightforward place where all cunning schemes shrink in the face of strength.

Lu Manman turned around, took aim in Chen Jingming’s direction, and fired several shots. Chen Jingming, well-trained, leaped agilely, skillfully dodging her shots.

Lu Manman hid behind the tree, peering towards where Chen Jingming had been lying in wait, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She scanned her surroundings, finding no sign of him.

Had he gone into hiding again?

Chen Jingming’s caliber was indeed impressive. Unlike many young people who would hastily shoot upon seeing an enemy, thus revealing their position, he remained seasoned and composed, biding his time until the end.

No wonder professional teams had their eyes on him; he truly possessed valuable qualities.

As Lu Manman’s ears twitched, she heard the sound of a branch breaking behind her.

She turned around abruptly, only to see Chen Jingming swiftly running towards her, taking cover behind another tree beside her.

Lu Manman raised her gun and began firing wildly, the colorful pellets grazing past him.

However, the next shot came up empty as Lu Manman ran out of bullets!

Hearing the sound of an empty gun, a slight smile curved on Chen Jingming’s lips as he stepped forward, aiming at her.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Yu rushed out from the grass basket at the side, taking several shots meant for Lu Manman.

Lu Manman swiftly reloaded her ammunition, her hands moving at an astonishing speed, too quick for her actions to be perceived clearly, yet the outcome was already decided.

Chen Jingming, having competed for so long, had never seen anyone reload as quickly. Typically, even seasoned individuals required at least 12 seconds, but Lu Manman…

Five seconds.

In just five seconds, she had reloaded her bullets and aimed her gun at him.

It was in those five seconds that Chen Jingming realized one thing unequivocally.

He could never be her match, never.

With a single gunshot, the match ended.

Chen Jingming was eliminated by the m4.

The fans in front of their computers on the live streaming platform went almost crazy. This battle was incredibly challenging, and the excitement level was on par with professional tournaments!

m4’s performance was outstanding. Reloading in just five seconds was unheard of, unseen before!

At that moment, they couldn’t help but think of a letter, a letter that had gradually faded away from the limelight.

W.

The fastest reloading record for the W was best kept at seven seconds. Yet today, the m4 managed to reload in just five seconds, which was simply…

Mind-blowing.

The entire online platform exploded. Suddenly, the name m4 wasn’t just known through reposts by original fans. She had her own shining achievements.

m4, the dark horse champion of the national tournament, reloading in five seconds, displaying extraordinary skill!

That night, almost every internet cafe was buzzing.

Fans, flushed with excitement, couldn’t stop discussing m4’s performance in the game with those around them. On social media platforms like TikTok, many attempted to challenge m4’s five-second reloading technique, but all failed.

After that night, the name m4 truly skyrocketed, becoming one of the hottest and most promising newcomers in the competitive gaming scene.

….

On the award stage, the spotlight was so bright that Lu Manman could hardly keep her eyes open, and the cheers from the fans in the audience threatened to bring down the roof.

Standing next to Lu Manman, the second-place winner, Chen Jingming, whispered to her, “I acknowledge your skill and talent.”

Seeing that Lu Manman didn’t respond, Chen Jingming assumed she couldn’t hear him over the noisy surroundings. He moved a bit closer and asked in a low voice, “How did you train for that? Reloading in just five seconds was incredible.”

Lu Manman continued to ignore him.

“Why aren’t you speaking? I heard you are an exchange student. Can’t understand what I’m saying? I can switch to English; I studied abroad in the UK before,” Chen Jingming rambled on in English.

After his lengthy spiel, Lu Manman gave him a disdainful and indifferent glance.

That look clearly expressed contempt and disdain.

Finally, Chen Jingming fell silent.

However, he couldn’t hold back for long. After ten minutes, he spoke in English, “You’re a girl, holding grudges is normal. I don’t mind. I hope we can turn our swords into plowshares after this competition. I admire you.”

Lu Manman couldn’t stand the phrase “I admire you.” She finally spoke up in clear Mandarin:

“Firstly, I understand Chinese perfectly fine; I just didn’t want to talk to you. Secondly, your British accent is terrible, don’t try to impress me with it. Thirdly, your club cheated and used fake accounts to tarnish my teammate’s reputation. You were lucky not to face me in the earlier rounds. Enduring you until second place has put me in a very unpleasant mood. If you speak to me again, I’ll punch you.”

Chen Jingming blushed deeply.

In truth, he was curious if Lu Manman would really attack him in front of the audience at the award stage.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Chen Jingming whispered, “It was Zhou Jialiang’s plan. I advised against it.”

“Two of a kind.”

“Your Chinese is pretty good. I heard you only knew how to swear before,” Chen Jingming said.

Impatiently, Lu Manman looked at him, “Do you want to hear me swear? I can tell you right now whether your mom’s neighbor, Lao Wang, is home or not.”

“Please… I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Chen Jingming smiled, conceding, muttering to himself, “She’s really fierce.”

During the award ceremony, the top ten players received a small glass crystal trophy. Although the trophy wasn’t valuable, it was exquisitely crafted and served as a symbol of honor.

Among the top ten, many were newcomers highly valued by professional teams. Perhaps after this competition, these players would be recruited by professional teams as backup players.

However, without exception, among the top ten players, all were boys except for the first-place winner, Lu Manman.

As the champion of both the singles and doubles competitions, Lu Manman stood at the very end of the award stage. Cheng Yu, seated below, with long legs crossed, was counting his prize money, completely ignoring Lu Manman.

Feeling awkward, she hesitated for a moment before reluctantly lowering her hand.

This guy, can he focus on anything other than money?

The top nine players in points had top professional team members present the awards to them, and they gracefully stepped down from the stage.

It was the highlight for Lu Manman as a special guest presenter was about to award her. The host had built up anticipation, hinting at an unexpected yet fitting super handsome guest.

So, when Yuan Xiu, dressed in a black suit, confidently walked onto the stage, the entire venue was overtaken by the ecstatic fans.

【Ah, it’s Yuan Xiu!】

【He’s the award presenter, the organizing committee is too considerate! What a pleasant surprise!】

【I never expected to see my husband here while being dragged by friends to watch the finals!】

【It was unexpected yet fitting. I had a feeling it would be him. He and m4 had some flirtatious moments on Weibo before, and now he’s here presenting her award. M4 must be…】

【What’s going on?】

【Don’t suffocate!】

【M4 might be entering X.】

【Can you say everything at once?】

Lu Manman covered her chest and kept backing away.

Under the spotlight, Yuan Xiu’s features appeared impeccably handsome, radiating a brilliant glow.

His looks and radiance weren’t the focus…

Why was he here?!

Yuan Xiu had received the glass trophy from the Miss Guest and was now walking towards Lu Manman.

As grand symphonic music played, the host’s resonant voice echoed throughout the venue:

“The champion of this year’s National Collegiate Real-Life Gaming Tournament has been crowned. She is the only female player to advance to the finals since the competition’s inception, and more notably, she has clinched the titles in both singles and doubles competitions, holding the highest points. She has broken several domestic records during the matches…

She is our familiar dark horse player, m4, Lu Manman!”

Amid thunderous applause, Yuan Xiu smiled as he approached her, handing over the trophy, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Lu Manman blushed, reaching out to accept the trophy. However, to her surprise, as she reached for it, Yuan Xiu raised his hand, making her miss the trophy.

The venue erupted in excitement once again.

【Honey, stop messing around!】

【That indulgent smile, what’s he up to!】

With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Yuan Xiu looked at the perplexed Lu Manman, “Want the trophy?”

Lu Manman knew exactly where this was going. “If you want it, just call me ‘Brother’.” Yuan Xiu seemed to never tire of this joke!

“Just give it to me.”

“Nope.”

Yuan Xiu raised his hand teasingly, not giving her the trophy. Lu Manman decided to take matters into her own hands and jumped off the award stage, reaching out to grab it.

The audience burst into laughter.

【Haha, Miss m4, can you stop being so cute.】

【The trophy is yours, your husband is yours, what are you grabbing for!】

【Miss, you don’t understand his teasing, he’s just playing around with you, he’s always been like this.】

In a hushed tone, Lu Manman said to Yuan Xiu, “With so many people around, I won’t call you ‘Brother’.”

“Just teasing you,” Yuan Xiu handed over the trophy graciously.

Lu Manman looked at the glass trophy in his hands, then glanced up at him, feeling a bit hesitant.

“You wouldn’t take it when I didn’t give it to you, and now that I’m offering it, you hesitate to accept?” Yuan Xiu teased.

Lu Manman bit her lip, hesitating, before reaching out to take the trophy. Just as she was about to touch it, Yuan Xiu suddenly held her hand.

Lu Manman froze, feeling a rush of warmth from his hand that left her momentarily speechless.

He raised her hand high above his head, facing the entire crowd, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “m4!”

Echoing Yuan Xiu’s lead, the whole venue resounded with a unified chant:

“m4! m4! m4!”

In that moment, the deafening roar of cheers, like a tidal wave, swept through the fiery winter atmosphere.

Yuan Xiu gazed at her flushed face, his deep eyes shimmering with uncontrollable excitement.

The era of real-life gaming with m4 had officially arrived.

And at that moment, Yuan Xiu held Lu Manman’s hand tightly.