CANVAS (springtofu)

The storm raged at the edges of the battlefield, a towering wall of red energy shrinking tighter with each passing second. What had once been a sprawling map was now a claustrophobic cage, forcing the last four teams into a brutal, inevitable confrontation.

Caster 1: The last ring is now closing, Tako!

Caster 2: You are right, Marco! The teams are now forced to fight! Each team is not budging in any of their positions!

Wang Chaihong crouched low behind the rusted metal roof of the abandoned motel, her fingers resting lightly on her rifle. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the storm's faint hum and her teammates' occasional shuffle.

She whispers into comms "Any info?"

Kang Dal released a soft whistle, his eyes fixated on a character worriedly looking around. "Looks like one of the teams is solo," he said.

"I have visuals on the other team, there are no signs of the fourth team." Yang Jinbao added, her voice tense but steady.

Wang Chaihong nodded, her grip tightening on her weapon. "Stay sharp. This is where they'll start making mistakes."

The first mistake came moments later. A burst of gunfire echoed from the east side of the zone as one team ambushed the solo trying to cross the open field. Chaihong's HUD lit up with damage indicators as bullets shredded through armor and shields.

Watching the fight through his sights, Kang Dal's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "The solo is holding out well on its own."

"I see the third team now." Yang Jinbao reported. "Should we move in now? They are focused on each other"

Wang Chaihong shakes her head " Let them bleed out. We will move forward when the last fight starts. For now, we continue to hold this building"

Struggling to keep himself alive as he ran out of healing items, the solo finally goes down. 'It's amazing, he managed to intimidate and hold out against three people for so long.' Wang Chaihong gives her respect to him.

"Xiao Hong, one from each team is down. The team on the left is trying to revive him." Yang Jinbao reported, that her finger hovered over her trigger, waiting for Wang Chaihong's next instruction.

Wang Chaihong instructs "Finish him off, don't let them revive him."

Bang bang

Yang Jinbao pulled her trigger, her shots found the helpless mark on the ground. The kill feed lit up once more.

Caster 1: What can Team 8 do? Their member is now gone, leaving the duo. Team 5 is still waiting at the only cover left in the ring!

Caster 2: They are being disciplined till the very end!

Caster 1: Team 8 is pushing forward towards Team 11! It looks like one of the members is low on HP, so they are seizing this opportunity!

Caster 2: Shotgun to the head! Team 11 is finally down! Finishing the match in third place!

Caster 1: Look at Team 5! They waste no time to push the last team!

The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, tension thick in the air. With a practiced motion, Wang Chaihong threw a grenade towards the direction of the last team. She commands " Move forward! Don't let them heal up!"

Kang Dal and Yang Jinbao follow up behind her, the explosion catches the enemies off guard, They instinctively put down their healing items and raise their guns, Their weapons blazing, Wang Chaihong with a steady breath, dodges most of the bullets by moving swiftly side by side.

Yang Jinbao provides support, tossing a termite grenade above their head. The two caught sight of it and scrambled to avoid it. "Nice grenade! I will finish them up!" Wang Chaihong drags her mouse across her table, and with enough momentum, she jumps onto a truck to gain a full view of the enemies from above. She switched to her shotgun, a grin behind her mask "Bye bye~"

Two clean charged shots rang across the venue, the final kill feed lit up with her name, and the words Victory Royale blazed across the screen. Cheers erupted from the audience, and somewhere in the audience, Zhang LiQiang leaned back in his chair, a proud smile spreading across his face " Yufei, we are winning this year's World Champions for sure."

Lu Yufei chuckles at his best friend's expression " Don't get too cocky."

Around them, however, pockets of discontent began to bubble. "How do two girls pull off a win like that?" someone muttered a few seats behind, their tone dripping with skepticism.

"Probably carried by their teammate," another scoffed. "No way they led that strategy." indicating the only possible reason they won is because of Kang Dal.

Zhang LiQiang's sharp ears caught every single word of it, and his jaws tightened. Lu Yufei turned around and scoffed at them "If you think you are better, you should be down there proving your worth not here whining like a child."

Their face reddened and their mouth shut, leaning back in their seats with arms crossed, unable to argue back.