He and Henry Cooper are members of the "Super Shadow Squad." At first, it was Henry Cooper who played this game; the former Ethan Brooks would also play occasionally. Eventually, when the official league was held and the team was short on people, Henry Cooper pulled him in to make up a 25-person team. After stumbling through several elimination rounds, they actually made it to the finals of the Binhe District, and are about to challenge the district’s top team, "Demon Claw."

The match day is the day after tomorrow.

After Henry Cooper hung up the phone, Ethan Brooks used his phone to search online, trying hard to recall the details of the game.

Information about the game appeared on his phone screen: "Hot War" is currently the latest and most popular simulated gunfight survival game. This mode is called "battle royale," where players, either solo or in teams, survive the chaos until the end to win. Its gameplay is innovative, the content is realistic, and it has received widespread acclaim.

A moment later, he was slightly stunned.

This... can’t be, right?

How is this any different from that battle royale game he used to play until he was sick of it?

No, if there is a difference, it’s that in this timeline, it’s still just an emerging thing—what he sees as an early version of the game.

Thinking again about the tactics, strategies, and skills of his and Henry Cooper’s team, Ethan Brooks covered his face. Sure enough, in his eyes, the skills of this group in the squad... were as green as rookies.

Then, through the gaps in his fingers, Ethan Brooks’s eyes suddenly widened.

He looked up, his eyes shining brightly.

Interesting, very interesting.

===

(This novel is not a gaming story, the game is just a transition.)

Chapter 5: Girls from the East District, Guys from the West District

The largest "Sky City" internet café in Qingshan University Town was much livelier than usual at this moment.

Today is the official district-level league day for the "Hot War" game. "Hot War" is a game that emerged in the past year. At first, it was an unknown title, but as players discovered a new world after trying it, it quickly became popular. Now, the official national league has already begun.

The district elimination rounds have lasted for a while, and today is the final match. Because of this, many people in the university town have been mobilized. Even those who don’t usually play games might come to watch, either persuaded by gaming friends or girlfriends accompanying their boyfriends.

"Hot War" is a battle royale-style simulated gunfight survival game. Ethan Brooks still remembered how Henry Cooper described the game’s innovative mechanics, clever design, and how it revolutionized previous shooting games when he pulled him into it. The guns had richer, more realistic physical ballistics and shooting feel...

All signs pointed to the fact that this type of game was still in an early version stage, similar to what Ethan Brooks had experienced in his previous life.

This wasn’t surprising. In this timeline, science and engineering were highly developed, but the entertainment industry was lacking. Scanning through all the major TV stations, you could only find a handful of variety shows. Entertainment programs could only be released in the virtual web, and there was almost no space for such shows on mainstream media channels. Similarly, the gaming industry had long been suppressed and regulated, and only in recent years had these restrictions gradually been lifted. The term "e-sports" only started to be formally used after mainstream opinions began to shift.

This is also why "Hot War" has sparked so much enthusiasm on a societal level. It’s like certain things in human nature—when suppressed for too long, they will grow wildly. With the boost of new technology, it has triggered an even broader trend.

Henry Cooper led Ethan Brooks to the main campus of Qingda, saying along the way, "We’ve always played online before, only hearing each other’s voices but never meeting in person. Today, the captain, 'Sophie', is meeting us in real life. I heard she’s really beautiful, from the School of Finance at Qingda, real name Sophia Dean. They say she’s the most famous beauty at Qingda in recent years—no one can compare!"

Sophie... Ethan Brooks searched his memory. Sophia Dean, he’d heard of her—a sophomore at the main campus of Qingchuan University, already well-known for her outstanding looks. She had a gaming ID online, "Sophie南波丸," and occasionally streamed games without showing her face. Her voice was pleasant, her commentary style engaging, and a few of her videos had over 200,000 likes. She’d become a minor celebrity in the university town.

Sophia Dean is one of the captains of the Super Shadow Squad. There’s no distinction between main and vice captains; the core members are all captains. Usually, everyone discusses things together. But Sophia Dean can be considered one of the earliest founders of Super Shadow.

Henry Cooper joined the Super Shadow Squad first, then pulled Ethan Brooks in. They’d played a few matches together, and he’d heard the legendary "Sophie"’s voice through his headset—a bit lively in style.

The two of them arrived at the Sky City internet café and walked in to find it extremely lively inside.

Henry Cooper said, "There really are a lot of people today. I bet no one expected our Super Shadow Squad to make it all the way to the finals against Demon Claw. Even a few who used to bail all the time said they wanted to come play. Hah, as if! They didn’t play in the earlier rounds, and now they want to show up at the crucial moment. If we win, do they get a share of the prize? I already told Andrew Miller, the two of us are definitely the main players. Anyone who comes later will have to sit on the bench."