The sound of the transport plane was buzzing, Henry Cooper's voice was right by his ear, and inside the cabin, the vibrations caused various objects to collide randomly. Ethan Brooks found that the gaming experience in this world was incredibly immersive—technologically, it was leagues ahead of his previous life.

Just the sense of immersion alone was extremely enjoyable. While Ethan Brooks was still savoring this experience, all sorts of sounds came to his ears.

“We’re in position, Group A, move move move! Parachute, parachute, parachute!”

“Group B, get going, remember your positions! Everyone, secure advantageous terrain as soon as you land!”

“Roger! We’re off!”

Voices in the channel overlapped, mixed with the game’s notification sounds in his headset, creating a chaotic battlefield atmosphere.

“It’s our turn! Group E, GoGoGo!”

Henry Cooper's voice came through. Ethan Brooks controlled his character to follow Henry Cooper, jumping out of the cabin and free-falling toward the vast map of the game world.

……

In the game, the “Nameless” controlled by Ethan Brooks was in Henry Cooper’s squad. He followed Henry Cooper’s character out of the plane, the wind roaring in his ears, the ground rushing up to meet him. Through his smart glasses, he even felt a slight sense of weightlessness. Below, countless parachutes bloomed, showing that players had already deployed their chutes and were descending toward resource points to compete for loot.

“The Demon Claw team always goes for the resource-rich power plant. There’s nothing we can do—they’re too strong, we can’t outfight them. We’ll have to avoid them and jump to the outskirts. We’ll take the prison, set up an ambush to hit them as they head north. If we can get a shot at them, take it; if not, find a vehicle and relocate quickly. Don’t go head-to-head with their main force!”

Henry Cooper laid out the tactics for the squad.

Each squad of the team had already parachuted toward their designated locations, generally avoiding the main force of the Demon Claw team. This was a calculated move, given their own strength was inferior. They chose not to confront them directly. After all, in a battle royale game, even a newbie could, by hiding well, catch a top player off guard and greatly narrow the skill gap.

However, a startled shout came through the headset from a squad member nicknamed “Fe56” in their Group E: “There’s already a team at the prison we planned to take!”

“They’ve deployed their chutes—wait… the parachute design is a black skull! …It’s one of their three top players, ‘Kill one’—The Slayer!”

“Holy crap!”

Chapter 9 The Slayer

In “Hot War,” players are allowed to paint their own designs on parachutes, so everyone’s chute is highly recognizable. When the parachutes open, you can see the artwork from the air. Right now, Henry Cooper’s five-person squad saw, below them, a skull parachute drifting down.

Everyone in Group E felt a chill in their hearts at the sight.

If there’s one player on the Demon Claw team to be absolutely wary of, it’s “Kill one.” He’s a well-known figure in all the internet cafés around University City, often ranking at the top of the local leaderboards. In a typical internet café match, he always takes first place. Once, he even racked up an astonishing 34 kills in a single match—thirty-four kills!

You have to understand, “Hot War” isn’t just a close-quarters first-person shooter. It has a vast open map, and to get that many kills, you need not only extraordinary skill but also the right timing and positioning.

Of course, it was just a public match, not a high-level pro lobby, but it was still terrifying. Some players consider four kills in a match a victory, and there are plenty who’ve never gotten a single kill. In such a realistic game environment, getting even one kill is tough.

In that match, it’s said that “Kill one” chased down a car solo, took on multiple enemies at once, and single-handedly wiped out an entire squad, ending up with thirty-four kills. When he hit that number, the whole internet café erupted. Around University City, this feat earned him a thumbs-up and the exclamation “Awesome!”—and thus, he got the nickname “The Slayer.”

So, seeing the skull parachute of “Kill one” below them, everyone in Group E, including Henry Cooper, felt their souls tremble. Once they landed, every one of them could end up as a sacrifice to “Kill one”’s gun.

“Jump to the bunker, jump to the bunker! Move! Move now!” Henry Cooper shouted in the channel.

The entire Super Shadow team was on edge. If Henry Cooper’s Group E got wiped out, it would be a huge blow to their strength. Even Kevin Miller, who most wanted to see Ethan Brooks eliminated, didn’t really want them all to die at the hands of “The Slayer.” After all, Ethan Brooks definitely wouldn’t outlast him, but they needed Henry Cooper’s Group E to help hold off the enemy in the final battle.

Henry Cooper’s strategy was sound. The bunker was right next to the prison and had fewer resources—one squad couldn’t get fully geared there—but it was enough for a quick initial loadout, and then they could leave immediately without lingering.

The Slayer had already spotted them. Once he finished gearing up in the prison, he’d definitely come after them. Now was not the time for a direct fight—that would be suicide. Land, gear up, relocate, and regroup with the main force—that was their only way to survive!