Chapter 81: Quietly Entering the Circle

Needless to say, the two who slipped away quietly were none other than Yang Hao and Zhang Tian. Yang Hao and his companion had no intention of lingering in the fight; after silently taking out two or three enemies, they vanished before the others could react. Two shots fired, then they were gone—no matter how much their opponents wished to vent their fury upon them, there was nothing they could do. Whenever one side made a move, the other would never stand idly by, nor allow their adversaries to leave so easily. Both teams were locked in a mutual standoff; any disturbance could set off a chain reaction, so with caution weighing upon them, none dared act rashly.

Thus, they could only grit their teeth and watch as Yang Hao and Zhang Tian made their escape. Old Jiang, who had been closely observing their movements, shifted the camera to follow them as soon as they appeared, so the audience witnessed the entire sequence unfold. As the two slipped away, a chill ran down the viewers’ spines.

Too cunning!

Anyone who crossed paths with them was doomed.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the safe zone, a similar scene was playing out. Two squads were locked in a stalemate. The teams that managed to survive up to this point were no longer at full strength: one side had only two players left, the other three. They had already exchanged fire once, but neither could gain the upper hand; for the moment, things had settled into uneasy calm. Yet the audience knew this peace would not last. If either side spotted a weakness, they would strike without mercy.

By now, everyone craved a spot in the finals. To secure their place, they would do anything to prevent the opposing team from advancing. With every squad eliminated, their chances of qualifying improved. Eliminating rivals also earned valuable kill points, boosting their overall ranking. Nearly every team shared the same thoughts. It was competition, a pursuit of victory and glory.

But this fragile balance was quickly shattered with the arrival of Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan.

Sniping from the shadows!

Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan held their fire while the other teams stayed still. Only when the two squads engaged each other did they strike from the shadows. Upon realizing a third party was present, some players found their teammates slain, and when they tried to locate Yao Cheng and Zhu Ziyuan, the pair had already vanished. This was not the first time such a thing had happened.

Yang Hao’s four-man squad, split into pairs, leveraged their familiarity with the terrain to strike repeatedly—and successfully. Each time, they crept close, fired their shots, and slipped away again. If escape wasn’t possible?

Simple—they fought.

“These four, they’re outrageously sly!”

“Not just sly, downright shameless!”

“Sly to the extreme, wild beyond compare, shameless to the bone!”

“The Four Brothers of Sly, Wild, Shameless!”

“Amazing! The others look utterly helpless!”

“Lawless—these four are raising chaos everywhere!”

Thanks to Old Jiang’s special focus, Yang Hao and his team had no idea that every move they made was being watched by countless sharp eyes. Thus, they earned the notorious nickname “The Four Brothers of Sly, Wild, Shameless.” Of course, Yang Hao and his crew would never accept such a title. Over their dead bodies! Who gave you the nerve to name us like this? Sister Liang?

At this point, the safe zone was neither too large nor too small, but still allowed Yang Hao’s crew plenty of room to maneuver. Relying on guerrilla tactics handed down by revolutionary predecessors, the four moved like fish through water, exploiting every inch of the not-so-open terrain.

Bang!

Suddenly, amid the tense atmosphere of the match, a silenced shot rang out from a 98K rifle. The sound was faint, but everyone who heard it felt a jolt in their hearts. After all, in the span of a single minute, several waves of players had already been dealt with. Yet most had never even glimpsed the attackers. Even when they did, there was little they could do—the enemy was too cunning.

“Gentle Heart used a Kar98K to headshot and kill Wings of Kings 7!”

Seeing this notification, the players who had just grown wary couldn’t help but twitch their lips.

Him again?

Endless trouble—how can anyone play properly with this going on?

At the same time, as the kill notification appeared, the audience saw a certain figure twitch slightly before retreating back into cover. This player sprawled behind a tree, disappearing completely from sight.

“Damn, how sneaky can you get?”

“A world-class old fox!”

“Is it really necessary to play so dirty?”

“I’d like to know how much psychological trauma this causes…”

“I’m impressed—these guys are absolute masters at stirring things up!”

Undoubtedly, the figure crouched behind the tree was Yang Hao.

By now, the four who had originally split into two squads had scattered entirely, each acting alone.

The ultimate guerrilla warfare had begun!

Each time, a shot was fired, and before anyone noticed, they had already slipped away. Regardless of the results, they never lingered. Guerrilla warfare: ‘guerrilla’ means to move, ‘warfare’ means to attack—literally, to attack while moving. Yang Hao and his team understood this deeply; four years of university, battling with professors in every course, had taught them well.

To flee without attacking is escapism; to attack without fleeing is reckless. The essence of guerrilla warfare is: when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we strike; when the enemy retreats, we pursue.

By following the five basic principles—choose battleground wisely, deploy quickly, allocate forces rationally, pick the opportune moment, and withdraw immediately after combat—they practiced guerrilla warfare. It is an unconventional form of battle: no fixed front, scattered and mobile, relying on hit-and-run attacks to destroy or wear down the enemy. Compared to regular warfare, guerrilla tactics offer greater initiative, flexibility, aggression, speed, and mobility.

This, in brief, was their understanding of guerrilla warfare. If they were to explain in detail, based on their experience, they could talk for a full day and night.

Soon, the poison circle began to shrink. With its contraction, only about ten players remained—half the previous number. There was no denying that Yang Hao and his team had contributed greatly to this reduction. What could they do? Their guerrilla tactics were too effective!

At this moment, the new safe zone was refreshed. The broadcast shifted abruptly to a small slope. Many viewers were momentarily puzzled, but then someone noticed something odd in the grass. Before long, as they focused on the slope, they spotted a figure inching forward, and their eyes twitched.

That guy again?

On the small slope, right at the edge of the new safe zone, a figure clad in a ghillie suit lay still. Or rather, was creeping forward…

But his movement was extremely slow—without careful observation, you might miss it entirely.

At this point, Yang Hao had somehow acquired a ghillie suit, and his location was just outside the safe zone, only five or six meters away from its boundary.

Now, he was stealthily edging his way into the circle…