Shenzhen.Towering glass skyscrapers. Neon-lit avenues. The air buzzed with money, tech, and ambition.
Shen Wanqing stepped off the high-speed train, backpack slung over one shoulder, a secondhand suitcase trailing behind. She looked nothing like the other players arriving for the Phoenix Selection Trials, sleek luggage, branded caps, confident swagger.
She didn't care.
She had one mission: Make the team. Beat Reign again. Prove herself.
LuTech Esports Arena – Training Facility
"ID.""Shen Wanqing. Alias: QingQingSnipes."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow at her worn gear but scanned her badge anyway.Inside, the facility was jaw-dropping rows of RGB-lit PCs, soundproof scrim pods, and towering banners of famous pro players.
On the far wall was one particular banner:A figure in shadow, scope raised, cloaked in ice-blue light.Reign.
As she walked into the waiting area, whispers began.
"Is that her?"The girl who clutched Titan in Chengdu?"She doesn't even have a sponsor."
Wanqing kept her head high. Let them talk.
Phase One – The Gauntlet
Coach Duan stood at the front of the briefing hall, tall, lean, and no-nonsense.
"To be clear: this is not a training camp. This is a war of attrition. 200 of you entered. By the end of the week, 10 will remain."
Gasps. A few players exchanged nervous glances.
"Every match will be ranked. Solo. Duo. Squad. Sniping trials. Strategy reviews. Choke, and you're out. No second chances."
He paused. Then gestured.
"Captain Lu. Anything to add?"
A hush fell.
Lu Zeyan walked in. All black. Minimalist style. Cold gaze.
His eyes swept the room like a sniper's scope, efficient and disinterested.
For a split second, his gaze landed on Wanqing.
No nod. No smile.Just a flicker of heat behind ice.
"The battlefield rewards precision," he said. "But in here, we also reward instinct."
He left as quickly as he came.
Wanqing exhaled. Her palms were damp.
First Trial – Solo Match: Erangel
Drop zone: Pochinki.
32 players. Top 5 advances.
She landed near a church tower. No gun. Footsteps nearby. Her fingers flew.
Smoke. Bait. Rotate.
Within 10 minutes, she had four kills.By the final circle: eight.
The last enemy is hiding in a broken shack. She heard him cough over proximity chat... asthma.
She paused. Then fragged the wall.
Bang. Match over.
She placed #1.
As she left the scrim pod, murmurs followed.
"QingQingSnipes. First again."
That Night
Back at the training dorms, Wanqing washed up in silence. Exhaustion lined her limbs, but her eyes burned with focus.
She reached for her phone. A message blinked.
Reign: "You played the final circle wrong. You exposed your left side at 14:07."Reign: "Lucky for you, he was a mouth breather."Reign: "Don't rely on luck again."
Her lips twitched.
She typed back.
QingQingSnipes: "I don't need luck when you're watching my six."
No reply. But a small red "Seen."
Somewhere in that building, Reign was still watching.
And for the first time, she wasn't chasing him.
She was matching him, kill for kill, step for step.