Volume 1, Chapter 2: Mercenary King System Activated, This Real-Life Battle Royale Is Truly Hardcore!

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Missiles soared through the air like dragons taking flight, tearing through the firmament and heading straight for Han Cheng and his companions.

"What the f*ck! Run!"

In an instant, the foreigners were thrown into a total panic, legs flailing as they scrambled in every direction. Han Cheng was dragged along by a scruffy, rugged man, tumbling and crawling until they finally reached a safe zone.

But before they could even catch their breath, the deafening roar of missiles impacting the ground echoed behind them.

Boom—boom—boom—boom—

The massive explosions, accompanied by a sweeping wave of blistering heat, crashed over them. Not only did the sound leave Han Cheng’s ears ringing, but the force nearly blew his six-foot-three frame right off the ground!

"Holy sh*t, this 'real-life Battle Royale' is hardcore. Are they seriously using real explosion effects?"

Hardly had the words left his lips when a mangled, bloody torso—blown apart by a missile—thudded onto the ground right in front of him!

"What the f*ck? Even the casualties are this realistic? Ugh..."

Han Cheng had just hit the dirt to vomit when the scruffy man suddenly yanked him back.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—

A dense hail of bullets tore through the space where he had been standing. If the man hadn't pulled him back, Han Cheng would have been "eliminated" right there!

But Han Cheng had no time to say thanks; his stomach was still churning violently. The "hardcore" nature of this real-life game was leaving him with serious psychological trauma.

"Damn, f*ck!"

The man wanted to contact his colleagues, but his radio was broken. With no other choice, he attempted to use hand signals to communicate with the squad members hiding nearby.

He had barely finished a few gestures when Han Cheng, having stopped retching, looked up and thought, *Hey, that looks fun.*

So, he joined in and made a few gestures of his own.

As soon as he finished, the squad members in the distance were stunned.

"Holy sh*t, what did he just say?"
"He called us both total idiots."
"What???"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—

The dense barrage of gunfire never ceased, forcing Han Cheng and the man to hunker down behind a massive boulder, not daring to even peek out.

"It seems we've fallen into an enemy trap designed to lure us out. There are too many of them; do not charge out!"

From Han Cheng’s perspective, the foreigner was muttering a string of gibberish. He didn't understand a word, except for the phrase "charge out."

So, Han Cheng did exactly that.

"Charge!!!" Han Cheng let out a roar, gripped his CZ806 assault rifle, and sprinted out without a second thought.

"What the f*ck? Long, are you f*cking crazy? What are you f*cking doing?"

The man was dumbfounded. He had specifically told him not to charge—why was he charging? Was the guy out of his mind?

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—

The man instinctively tried to rush out to stop Han Cheng, but before he could take two steps, a volley of enemy fire forced him back. Although he failed to stop Han Cheng, the good news was that he managed to rendezvous with his nearby comrades in the process.

"Captain, we just received a communication from headquarters."

"What did they say? Can they provide support?"

"It’s not about the operation. Headquarters says the brokerage firm we partnered with for this Night Wolf Mercenary Group mission is a scam. They’re known for sending tourists and migrant workers into mercenary zones just to boost their performance stats."

"Also, 'Dragon' from the Wolf of China personally called to apologize for being unable to join us, and he even invited us to his grandmother’s wedding."

"What???"

The captain was stunned. If headquarters said the Wolf of China couldn't make it, then who the hell was the guy who just charged out there?

The captain fell silent, the answer dawning on him.

"Holy sh*t, doesn't that kid realize he’s been tricked into a mercenary camp? Why is he charging so aggressively?!"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—

On the other side, the moment Han Cheng appeared, the enemy fire followed him relentlessly. Fortunately, whether it was a "newbie buff" or simply the fearlessness of a newborn calf, Han Cheng sprinted through the hail of bullets without taking a single hit.

But luck has its limits. Just as Han Cheng was charging blindly in a certain direction, he suddenly stopped.

Whoosh—

From behind a pile of rocks in front of him, a group of armed militants dressed like terrorists suddenly emerged, AKs in hand.

"What the...?"

Before Han Cheng could even react, the militants pulled their triggers.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—

The bullets streaked toward him like a tongue of fire.

"It's over!" The captain in the distance felt his heart turn to ice. At such close range, with that many bullets, Han Cheng was going to be turned into Swiss cheese! Even a god couldn't save him now!

"Damn it, why are you shooting at me? I haven't even got a health pack on me yet!"

Just as Han Cheng closed his eyes, expecting to be eliminated, the world suddenly went quiet. He opened his eyes to find the bullet heads hovering right in front of him, frozen in mid-air.

Then, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ears: "Ding! Detecting that the host is in a fatal situation. The Mercenary King System is at your service. Would the host like to activate?"

"Fatal... situation?" Han Cheng twitched his mouth. *Nice one.*

This real-life Battle Royale was so hardcore it could scare the piss out of someone, and now even the system was pulling the "fatal situation" line?

Han Cheng had read plenty of novels; he knew a system like this was a rare encounter. Without hesitation, he chose: "Activate!"

"Ding! Detecting the current environment is too bloody and violent, unsuitable for a college student’s mental and physical development. Please sign the Growth Protection Agreement!"

Han Cheng was speechless. Why was this system so high-maintenance? But to activate it, he signed anyway.

"Ding! System activation complete. Initiating a thirty-minute max-level talent experience period. 3... 2... 1... 0..."

Before Han Cheng could process what was happening, the countdown began. The moment it hit zero:

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

The bullets hovering before him suddenly stirred, shifting from stillness back into motion. Han Cheng knew the time-stop was ending, but he wasn't afraid. A flood of knowledge surged into his mind, and his entire body felt surging with power!

A second later, the corner of Han Cheng’s mouth curled into a standard Nike-swoosh smirk. Facing the bullets that were speeding up and closing in on his skin, he snapped his fingers and uttered a line of English with a flair of dramatic teenage angst:

"It's showtime!"