Chapter 30: Never Asking When to Return (Third Update!)

“What the hell is Fire Fox doing?”
“Shooting his own teammate, heh…”
“He should think about it—if it weren’t for Trickster and the others, who knows how many times he’d have died by now. How else would he have made it this far with a full squad?”
“So ungrateful! People like that are the worst!”
When Yang Hao was gunned down by Fire Fox, the viewers in the livestream were stunned at first, and then quickly grew furious.

…

Tomato TV.

Fire Fox’s stream.

The moment he was taken out by Lin Zijin, Fire Fox’s mind went blank, a sudden panic seizing him. Those three shots just now weren’t even his idea—they had been “requested” by Brother Cheng.

He could tell that Brother Cheng didn’t like Yang Hao, and truth be told, he himself wasn’t fond of Yang Hao either—mostly because Yang Hao was just too damn irritating.

When he got Brother Cheng’s message asking him to “teach Yang Hao a lesson,” he’d hesitated. He and Brother Cheng shared the same worry: neither wanted to provoke Lin Zijin’s displeasure.

But when he saw the terms Brother Cheng offered, his hesitation faltered.

He’d also comforted himself with a bit of wishful thinking: it was just knocking Yang Hao down, not actually killing him. Later, he’d just blame it on an accidental misfire—surely Lin Zijin wouldn’t make a big deal of it for Yang Hao’s sake. At worst, she’d just be a little annoyed.

But the moment Lin Zijin fired her shot, he realized how wrong he’d been.

Because that single gunshot from her was so decisive, he could almost taste the anger and murderous intent behind it.

Suddenly, a chill gripped his heart.

“S-sorry, my hand slipped just now—the gun went off by accident!” Fire Fox’s lips were dry, and he forced the words out, his voice trembling.

But his excuse rang hollow.

A misfire? Who would believe that? Anyone with half a brain could see those three shots had been intentional.

Lin Zijin acted as if she hadn’t even heard his explanation. Her face expressionless, she glanced at Fire Fox on the ground and then at Brother Cheng and the others a short distance away. Suddenly, she spat out two words:

“Finish them.”

Those two ordinary words sent a chill straight through Fire Fox, and the others sensed trouble as well.

When Lin Zijin gave the order, Lu Ziqi and Ling Xue’er were still a little slow to react. But by the time they understood, Lin Zijin had already raised her AWM and fired a shot straight at Brother Cheng.

The shot rang out!

Brother Cheng, who’d been standing a moment before, was instantly taken out with a headshot.

Seeing Brother Cheng collapse, another player, realizing what was happening, immediately leapt into the river!

Bang!

Just as that player’s body touched the water, Lin Zijin—having already reloaded—fired again!

The result was inevitable.

By now, Ling Xue’er and Lu Ziqi had finally caught on and opened fire on the three who’d been downed by Lin Zijin.

All three were wiped out.

Watching this, the audience was left speechless in shock.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why Brother Fire would do something like that… I’m sorry…” As Little Winter saw Brother Cheng’s squad leave the game, she looked at Lin Zijin and her teammates, as well as the fallen Yang Hao, her voice trembling and on the verge of tears.

The sudden turn of events had left her in a deeply awkward position—she was obviously quite young and clearly couldn’t handle it.

“I’m sorry…” she repeated, her apologies tumbling out as she too exited the game. After what had happened, she simply couldn’t stay any longer.

“Sigh…” Watching Little Winter leave, Yang Hao let out a silent sigh.

He could tell that Little Winter was different from Brother Cheng and the others. From their brief interaction, Yang Hao knew she was a pretty simple girl, not one for complicated schemes.

The storm had passed, though the incident still lingered in everyone’s minds.

But the game marched on.

Yang Hao was revived, and as things settled down, the thirty-odd players at the start had now dwindled to just over ten.

The audience was delighted to see that the final safe zone had landed on their side!

A “destined circle.”

With Yang Hao’s group holding the bridge, they already had every advantage—time, place, and unity.

What followed was a truly spectacular showdown. When Lin Zijin fired the last shot, the game was over.

In the final scene, Lin Zijin stood behind cover on the bridge, calmly putting away her AWM.

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”

As those last words appeared on the computer screen, the final match of the night had ended in victory.

However—

Unlike the previous celebrations, this time the viewers in the stream couldn’t bring themselves to cheer. The memory of Trickster being shot in the back was still fresh, filling them with anger.

After Lin Zijin ended her livestream, many fans rushed to Fire Fox’s stream. When they saw him carrying on as if nothing had happened, still streaming with female teammates, their contempt was palpable.

Within moments, Fire Fox’s viewer count skyrocketed. But before he could enjoy the surge in popularity, he was bombarded with a tidal wave of criticism.

Even Fire Fox’s own fans were left speechless, unable to defend him, and Fire Fox himself was so frustrated he ended the stream at lightning speed.

After venting their anger at Fire Fox, the viewers headed to Brother Cheng’s stream, only to find he had already vanished—having ended his broadcast the moment he left the game, knowing trouble was coming.

There was nothing more the upset viewers could do.

Yang Hao was aware of the audience’s support, feeling a warm glow inside. As for Brother Cheng and the others, he didn’t give them another thought.

Revenge—Lin Zijin had already taken care of that for him.

Any further pursuit would be pointless.

Clowns like that could only manage a few petty tricks.

To keep butting heads with them would only cheapen himself, Yang Hao felt.

After shutting down his computer, Yang Hao walked into the living room and glanced out at the starry sky. Wisps of cloud drifted across the moon, and the darkness only made the scattered stars shine brighter.

Taking in the beautiful night, Yang Hao felt an unexpected calm.

His gaze shifted to a nearby house, its windows still glowing with light. A gentle smile played on his lips.

With you here, everything is perfect.

…

After ending her stream, Lin Zijin played two more practice matches with Lu Ziqi and the others before preparing to rest. Glancing by chance at the house next door, she noticed a single light still burning, and paused in surprise.

When she picked up her phone, she was left completely stunned by the message waiting for her.

“In this brief life, we will all lose everything in the end. So why not be bold—love someone, chase a dream! For you, whether morning or night, I won’t ask when you’ll return.”

Reading these words, Lin Zijin was reminded of a popular saying circulating on the web recently:

“I still like you, like the sun rising and setting, unfazed by day or night.
I still like you, like clouds drifting nine thousand miles, never resting.
I still like you, like stars blazing through a billion years of darkness, never complaining.
I still like you, like rain falling in the tropics and the poles, crossing a thousand miles.
I still like you, like the wind blowing eight thousand miles, never asking when you’ll return.
I still like you, like stars crashing to the earth, until death, nothing more.
…”