Chapter 126
Chapter 126 – Like an Action Movie
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───Vroooom!
The steed of steel roared.
Instead of blood and muscle, it had lubricants and pistons. Instead of a fiercely beating heart, it had an engine. Instead of hooves pounding the ground, it had four wheels that growled as they pushed against the ground. The vehicle accelerated as its wheels gripped the asphalt, then soon moved into a well-maintained park as its second stage.
It was no longer a smooth path but a complete dirt road. The wet soil squished under the wheels, causing a shake that even the suspension couldn’t fully handle, jostling the four passengers inside the UTV.
“Yaaaargh─!”
“Hey, where’s the seatbelt? Where’s the seatbelt!”
“Moni! We’re going to be thrown out! We’re going to die like this!”
Vroom!
Harmony responded by stepping on the accelerator, her eyes set on a distant target—a building in the middle of a large lake. At a glance, it resembled an art museum, accessible by four bridges from all sides, located at the center of the map. In other words, it was a very strategic location.
Just like point B in yesterday’s Domination mode.
After some simple maneuvers, the vehicle barely escaped the dirt path and entered the park path paved with white stones. However, the dirt and crushed grass stuck to the wheels left several marks on the ground like skid marks.
Meanwhile, Limit, having barely recovered from the impact, checked the hologram map.
The 64 players who initially moved as one had now split into chaotic groups. Almost half of them occupied A, the starting point closest to HQ, while the remaining half scattered to B, C, and the most contested area expected to be the center of the map, D.
On the map, their squad was marked in green for easy identification. Let’s see….
“…Moni? Are we heading to D?”
“Huh? You just realized?”
It wasn’t going to be easy from the start.
Everyone became determined upon hearing that. Without the squad leader giving any directions, charging toward D had already become a trivial fact that was forgotten. As the museum came within reach, Limit, who was staring at the map, added.
“There are about three squads trailing us. Same with two tanks. But the attack helicopter and transport planes are all heading to different directions.”
“We’ll have to pull back if it gets unfavorable. Entering the bridge.”
Screech, and screams.
With a bit of screaming, the buggy swerved sharply and entered a bridge that was several dozen meters long. The dust rising and the clanking of metal on the other side of the hill indicated that combat was imminent.
The chat window was already going wild. It was intense, they said. They wanted to start off quietly, but Harmony’s bold dash toward D seemed to have provided some unexpected fun. So, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Of course, real trouble usually came later.
───Rumble!
“…Uh, why is there suddenly a shadow in the sky?”
A deafening engine roar.
The very flow of the air changed.
Kim Stone, holding the grenade launcher, had already seen a uniquely shaped tiltrotor floating in the sky. People were falling from it. One, two, three…soon enough, counting became meaningless.
More than two squads were dropping at the same time.
It was not a good sign that more than half of them were equipped with rocket launchers.
They had almost crossed the bridge, but at the same time, it meant that the two squads were turning their heads toward the source of the noise. Harmony, who was the first to notice, took advantage of the auto-correct effect and turned the vehicle at an angle straight out of an action movie.
Limit’s command came next.
“Return fire, return fire───!”
Tatata, and boom.
Bullets and rockets crossed paths in an instant. Rockets barely missed the vehicle, hitting the stone ground around them and causing massive explosions. Kim Stone, who had snapped back to his senses, hastily fired grenades in the enemy’s direction.
The vehicle narrowly avoided three rockets, but the aftershock couldn’t be entirely ignored. The vehicle shook violently. It was fortunate that it didn’t spin out of control.
However, the next moment, the transport plane circling nearby spotted Harmony’s squad as the first to reach D and abruptly turned. The minigun mounted on the front began to move. Harmony asked Limit to mark the building’s entrance while flooring the accelerator.
───Vroom!
“Hold on tight, everyone!”
“Argh, who let Harmony sit in the driver’s seat─!”
Rattatatatat!
The terrifying sound of bullets raining down, half a beat slower than the armed buggy, struck the spot where it had just been. The slight discrepancy due to not controlling with a keyboard and mouse like in a game had created a snowball effect. The vehicle carrying Harmony’s squad had already leaped forward by dozens of meters.
The four frantic passengers yelled at each other.
“Where’s the entrance, where’s the entrance!”
“Opposite side! They can’t come down here!”
“Stick close to the building───!”
What the hell are they doing, lmaoㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Are they shooting a movie or what ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony! Harmony!
Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu! Déjà vu!
Harmony’s lost it since grabbing the wheel lmaoㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
With a roar, the engine under the vehicle roared, and the wheels spun furiously.
The transport plane circled the large building as if it were an attack helicopter, showing the pilot hadn’t given up on them. The strange shadows cast on the ground indicated the pilot’s persistence.
Regrettably, it seemed the pilot was quite skilled. As they approached the entrance, the minigun’s angle was perfect for scratching the vehicle. Grenades and hundreds of bullets intersected instantly.
───Thump thump thump thump!
“Wow, shooting grenades in front of a minigun is terrifyingWhoa! Bullets incoming! Save me!”
“Wow, just a second of that and you’re shredded.”
Hundreds of bullets whizzed past overhead. Kim Stone, nearly torn apart, ducked, only for medic Hotteok to inject a syringe into his arm to restore his health.
But their position was precarious. They were about five seconds away from reaching the opposite entrance, and the minigun on the transport plane was aiming at them. The gun’s barrels began spinning again.
However, unlike some who anticipated a respawn after a massive explosion, Limit smiled as he added.
“Who uses a transport plane like an attack helicopter.”
“What?”
“Incoming.”
───Boom!!!
At that moment, an explosion erupted from the side of the transport plane.
A TOW missile, slower but powerful, struck the side of the aircraft, causing it to lurch. The misaligned minigun fired into empty space as an allied attack helicopter appeared, raining 30mm rounds, missiles, and flares.
The transport plane, battered and struggling to climb, received a communication.
[Ally Communication: Ah, streamers. If you move so fast from the start, it’s hard to support you. By the way, can I join the stream with this?］
“…Not just join, but this will definitely be in our highlight reel.”
[Ally Communication: Haha! Thank you───!］
??????????????????
Lmao, this is insaneㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
This is a movie! This is a movie! This is a movie! This is a movie! This is a movie! This is a movie!
Forbes’ Top 4 Dark Zone Streamers lmao
Vroom!
With that, the attack helicopter flew toward another battlefield, leaving behind those who praised their spectacular timing. But the next moment, the transport plane, losing all power, began falling.
Flames erupted from every part of the aircraft, including the cockpit. The massive object, over a dozen meters long, glided towards them. Harmony, flooring the accelerator, stared at the glass door entrance and shouted.
“Hold on tight───!”
Crash! Clatter!
The sound of the buggy, traveling at over 70 km/h, crashing into the glass door was followed by the explosion of the transport plane behind them.
After the violent storm passed, the buggy, nearly overturned, managed to place its wheels back on the ground. The suspension was broken, and the vehicle was so dented it could barely be
called a vehicle. The airbags, a feature of futuristic vehicles, were the only thing cushioning the passengers.
With a bang, the door of the dented vehicle opened, and the surprisingly intact passengers crawled out with various groans. Except for Harmony, who was perfectly fine in body and mind.
She raised her gun and said.
“We crashed, so let’s get out.”
She must have lost her mind.
That thought crossed everyone’s mind.
Harmony, show your butt!!! Is there a snake tail inside you!!!!!!!!!
This is what it means to surpass the masterㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Why does she only pull crazy stunts when playing with Yoo Jinㅋㅋㅋ
Is your real name Michael Bay by any chance?
She’s just filming a movie by herselfㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“…Is that Yoo Jin’s fault too?”
“No. I have no idea about that.”
Like master, like disciple, they say.
“Ugh, I’m dying.”
As usual, the impact of a broken circadian rhythm was not pleasant. If a person sleeps during
the hours they are supposed to be active, they become groggy, and their health deteriorates. If they eat late at night, it worsens, and if the environment is perfect for sleeping, it becomes even worse.
It was 2:57 PM. Bedtime was around 8 AM. With the crazy idea of finishing today’s work today, they edited from midnight to 7 AM, about seven hours. With intermittent sessions in virtual reality, the actual perceived time was roughly ten hours. It was crazy.
Fortunately, it was worth it—the result of working three editors to the bone. Most videos were almost 80% complete. At this rate, they could finish comfortably within the day.
That was a comfort.
The room was pitch dark.
To block out any sunlight or noise, the room was designed purely for ‘sleep,’ making it endlessly conducive to sleep even around 8 AM when sunlight began to creep in. Despite the grogginess, they didn’t wake up midway.
Turning on the room light, turning off the air conditioner, and opening the window and door for ventilation, they found the desk cluttered with energy drinks and snack wrappers. The three trash bins under the desk were filled with cans, general waste, and plastics, respectively.
Pulling up the blinds, they saw the hot sunlight pouring down like a waterfall from the sky. Using it as a backdrop, they took out a cold water bottle from the fridge and drank it, feeling somewhat refreshed.
Next, they checked the computer mailbox and the Engram group chat room. It was a mess. There was no need to summarize the content, but it was roughly ‘Are you sleeping? Is anyone sleeping? Are you guys asleep?’ Conversations continued from 3 AM, 4 AM, 6 AM…not just night, but until dawn.
It was a glimpse into the hard work of editors whose circadian rhythms were the opposite of normal people.
“Dizzy, dizzy.”
Muttering that, Luddite collapsed onto the sofa. But unlike usual, today, there was a peculiar message floating before his eyes.
[Notification: Harmony has started streaming.］
He shouldn’t click it.
It was Pandora’s box he shouldn’t open, yet for some reason, his hand moved on its own. The choker still around his neck worked splendidly, moving Luddite’s consciousness to Harmony’s chat room.
And he saw.
Hold on tight! Everyone!
Argh, who let Harmony sit in the driver’s seat─!
Once again—it wasn’t even again. It was a new level of madness, another legendary clip.
Seeing his employer recreate an action movie highlight in real-time, Luddite felt his mind going blank.
“Haha, haha, hahaha….”
Damn it.
Luddite passed out on the sofa.
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