"Screw it. No more hiding. Let's go full-on shootout—may the better aim win!"
With a shout of defiance, Doug Feng vaulted out from behind cover. At the exact same moment, Rose Xiao swung around the corner. Their eyes met across the virtual battlefield, and without hesitation, both lifted their rifles and opened fire. Not a millisecond was wasted.
Ratatatatatat!
Bullets flew in a chaotic ballet. They both hit—barely. Nothing fatal, just grazing shots. Doug's quick leap helped him avoid the worst of it, while Rose's slick side-squat got her out of danger just in time. The scoreboard told the story: Rose was left with 42 HP, while Doug had dropped to a dangerously low 30 HP.
"You ready for the final showdown?" Rose called out, eyes blazing with excitement.
Doug gave a crooked grin. "Born ready."
They stopped dodging. This was it. No more flanking, no more tricks. Just aim, fire, and find out who gets the last laugh. Around them, dozens of players held their breath, eyes glued to the screen, hearts pounding. You could almost hear the silence. No one even blinked—nobody wanted to miss the split-second climax.
It was like watching two ancient swordmasters locked in a duel. When the skill gap is wide, it's over in one stroke. But when both are equally matched, it's a dance of a hundred cuts—until one finally lands the fatal blow.
"Let's go!" Doug roared. "Final—!"
"OW OW OW—HEY!"
Just as Doug went in for the kill, a hand grabbed his ear and yanked hard. His mouse slipped, keyboard clattered, and his on-screen character froze—long enough for Rose to land the winning burst of bullets.
Ratatatat—KO.
"Who the hell ruined my epic moment?!" Doug whirled around, furious.
But the fury melted instantly into sheer terror.
"M-Mom?!"
Yep. Right there in the middle of the net café, surrounded by stunned gamers and glowing monitors, stood Madam Zhao Guizhen, aka Doug's mom, fire in her eyes and her hand still latched onto his earlobe.
"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'?! You finished your exams, then disappeared for half a day! I KNEW you'd be hiding in some internet café! Took me three tries to find you!"
"M-Mom, c'mon, not in public, please—"
"Don't 'Mom' me, you little brat!" she barked, dragging him toward the exit by the ear.
"Hey hey, Auntie Zhao! Easy, easy!" came a familiar voice.
Howie jumped up and tried to intervene. He and Doug had been buddies since diapers—and this was far from the first time they'd faced the Wrath of Zhao together. But today, it was partly his fault. He was the one who dragged Doug here, and Doug had just fought on his behalf.
"C'mon, it's just post-exam fun!" Howie pleaded. "Let him relax a bit!"
"You again?!" Madam Zhao's eyes narrowed. "You're the rat always getting my son into trouble. You think this is time to relax? The college entrance exam is coming!"
The café fell into awkward silence. Most of the players tried not to laugh, though many were clearly holding it in. After all, this scene was all too familiar—every gamer had a story of getting caught like this. Still, watching someone go from FPS champion to ear-tugged victim was hilarious.
Even Rose, still standing with her gun in-game, couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"Today's different, okay? Special situation! Let's just talk at home!" Doug pleaded, red-faced.
Zhao Guizhen sighed, finally letting go of his ear. "Fine! We'll talk at home. But you're not getting out of this."
She was just about to drag him outside when—
SCREECH!
A harsh screech of tires interrupted the drama. A military-green truck came to a halt right outside the café. Then, to everyone's shock, a full squad of armed soldiers stormed through the door.
Gasps echoed across the room. Chairs scraped back. Some players instinctively raised their hands.
Doug froze. "No way… this can't be about me, right?"
The soldiers, however, didn't shout any of the usual TV-cop clichés. They didn't tell anyone to freeze. Instead, they calmly pushed through the crowd and marched right up to—Doug.
His blood went cold.
"Oh god, what did I do?"
But to his surprise, the officer in charge brushed right past him and stopped in front of—Rose Xiao.
"Miss Xiao! Thank heavens we found you," the officer said, relief flooding his face. "Old Wang said you ditched the escort halfway. The general was losing his mind. We traced your online activity and finally got a hit."
He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and snapped to attention. "Sir, we've located the young lady. Yes, sir! Escorting her back to the base now!"
Doug's jaw dropped. "Wait. WHAT?!"
Rose pouted, clearly not thrilled. "Ugh. I should've used a VPN or something. I just wanted a few more days of peace and shooting noobs."
She stood up, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked over to Doug. On her tiptoes, she gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"You're pretty good, Doug Feng. But we didn't finish that match. Next time, I'll make sure we go all out—no interruptions."
And with that, she turned and followed the soldiers out of the café, climbed into the green truck, and disappeared with a vroom.
The room stayed silent for a beat. Then—
"Wait… she's military?!"
"Did that guy say she's the general's daughter?!"
"No wonder she's so good at shooters! She's probably trained with real guns!"
Dozens of players turned and stared at Doug. Their eyes were filled with admiration, jealousy—and curiosity. Who was this guy who could go toe-to-toe with the daughter of a military commander and earn her respect?
Doug gulped.
"What are you all looking at?! And you!" Zhao Guizhen snapped, back in command. "What kind of crazy people are you hanging out with now? Let's go, you little rascal!"
And just like that, Doug's brief moment of glory ended—dragged home by Mom, with a hundred envious eyes watching his every step.