Betrayal
The world was filled with countless games, and it wasn't strictly necessary to categorize them this way, but these games divided neatly into those where sniping was easy and those where it was not.
If they were single-player only, there would be no reason to discuss it at all. But if it was an online game and, even more so, one with a massive player base, then real talk about sniping became possible.
Still, here we go one step further: simply being easy to snipe was one thing, but ruining a streamer's one match was something completely different.
For example, famous AOS games made sniping quite difficult. Clearing through the masses and getting paired with the streamer's team or an enemy team by pure luck was already a nightmare.
But once that happened, they could wield every trick in the book to ruin the match with ease.
So now, on to the main topic.
What about Dark Zone itself, and Survival Mode?
"Barcode-nim, you've eaten everything, right? Nothing else you need?"
"Ah, uh, I think I need one big bag..."
The answer, contrary to what everyone expected, was shaped by a surprisingly complex set of variables.
For instance, if Harmony had been playing completely solo, that player could have caught her, the newbie wandering alone, and just do some basic teaming. That alone would have counted as success in a sniper's eyes.
But if he wanted to make it even dirtier—say, shooting her in the back right before extraction—the difficulty would have skyrocketed naturally.
The streamer was someone viewers had their backs up for. If the public opinion got wrecked by a disgusting act, he would be forcibly kicked from the party before betrayal even occurred, turning him into a honeycomb of reports. Endless reports would follow.
So he really shouldn't have been here. At this point, he had to pretend to be the forced-good newbie.
'...Fuck, something's seriously off...'
Of course the snipers didn't care what kind of person a streamer like Harmony had been before. At least he wasn't the type.
The name Eugene had spread across the internet in a random accident, so he only knew Harmony as a streamer who did a lot of shitty games.
But that wasn't it.
"Then the internal terrain is almost all cleared, right?"
"We've walked around for over an hour and a half, grabbing about sixteen points. That's plenty."
"I thought it'd be tough, but I adapted. It was fun. At the start it was super scary."
"You adapt fast."
"Hmph, I got praised again."
Was this the backbone and stubbornness forged from shitty games?
He didn't even want to hear the info on the user Eugene, but it naturally came to him, so even if he was that kind of person, how did Harmony follow the crazy guy's pace without a hitch?
Fundamentally, there were two hours to escape, plus extra time from painkillers and antibiotics for a total of about three hours. Countless fights had happened in that time.
He himself didn't even know how many he'd killed, so how about these two?
It felt intense.
"Here. Take the bag."
"Thanks."
But even while he was lost in thought, these two didn't wait—they ran their own path.
Hurriedly stuffing the missed items into the bag. Items were everywhere anyway. Countless enemies had turned into raw materials.
Inside the bag, a clattering sound echoed as they shoved in as many items as possible at once.
Once it was roughly packed, the two who had finished preparing asked.
"Then let's extract. Everyone good?"
"Yes, I'm ready. Barcode-nim?"
"Um... yeah. All done. Let's go. I'll head out first and wait."
Click.
He stepped out of the building first.
Inside the hideout, two voices echoed.
"Huh? What is it, can we use less Chimera this time?"
"Yeah, I have somewhere to use it."
"...Whatever. I'll trust Eugene. It should work somehow."
With that strangely meaningful remark, the two stepped outside.
Leaving behind the place they would never return to.
Three people of different appearances crossed the snow-covered contaminated zone.
Unlike the field, in Survival Mode monsters didn't respawn continuously, and since these two had been wandering around clearing every enemy until the very end, the surroundings were completely quiet.
The only sound was the wind that brushed past the ears, representing the late death throes of the dead city.
The collapse of downtown inevitably led to the reclassification of public facilities' purposes. With no users left, no land, or other reasons...
And the helicopter landing zone they targeted was once a public parking lot built to hold countless vehicles.
Instead of cars, the rooftop held massive H marks, headlights, satellite dishes, guide lights, and containers labeled U.S. Army. Traces of the dead city's final death rattles.
In that sense, operators who used such things could be called corpse cleaners.
A small conversation continued.
"Is this your first time doing Survival Mode?"
"Yeah."
"Both of you?"
When the last remaining person nodded, he was at a loss for words.
People who swept away every obstacle on the path saying such things made cognitive dissonance hit hard.
'...Fuck, I can't kill them now... next time I snipe, I won't pick this mode.'
Not knowing even that, the two people were ahead of him, casually searching the surroundings.
One had superior combat skill, but Harmony moved clumsily by comparison. Yet Eugene pointed out every little thing while advancing.
It was rather fortunate. If he was so considerate, it made it easy to do other things behind his back.
A signal flare launcher in the multi-use pouch.
Before Harmony noticed, he had secretly made one earlier. The heavy sensation sent a warning through his thigh.
All that was left was to time it properly and casually chat to slightly scatter their positions. He didn't think he could catch Eugene anyway.
It was about giving Harmony and her viewers a disgusting feeling no matter what. The twisted pleasure that came from that had been the driving force all along.
-[Notification: Pulse scan detected. No enemies in the vicinity.]
A glittering light beam swept the building, passing through every tiny crevice, and melted into the air.
In the bottom right, the icon for Harmony's pulse skill turned a pale gray. It signaled that it was on cooldown and unusable.
A bit lower, one red character.
Party exit.
It wasn't the time to activate that button yet.
───Huiiiing!
After several climbs, they finally reached the rooftop.
It wasn't very high. Around them were discarded equipment, U.S. Army containers, and barricades to block vehicle entry. It was actually ambiguous for a helicopter to land here in many ways.
Standing beside an unused Humvee, the complex structure of the public parking lot rooftop came into view.
A two-story rooftop. A gentle slope on both sides allowed access to the upper helicopter pad, and around it were balconies from which one could survey the surroundings.
The helicopter pad was adjacent to the rooftop of another lower building, and that area also boasted a highly complex structure.
Harmony's small body strained to pull up her chin as she looked up.
"Whoa. This isn't a maze or anything—it's a total mess. Were New York buildings originally this complicated on the roof?"
"Probably a common case. Unlike Seoul, it mixes old buildings."
"I see."
-[Notification: Guidance lights and headlights for helicopter approach not working.]
-[Suggestion: Install circuit fuse and restart.]
-[Fuse box marked.]
Stepping on the frozen snow and climbing the gentle slope, only the crunching sound echoed carefully into the air.
The rooftop floor with a large H clearly marking the landing zone. Through the strong building wind and piled snow, a rough asphalt scar was visible.
It was a clear hint that landing here wouldn't be easy.
Nearby, on top of stacked equipment, a huge fuse box glowed yellow, revealing its massive form as tall as a grown man's torso.
Unfortunately, the circuit was in the opposite direction—on the side of the building adjacent to the public parking lot's rooftop—and someone would have to carry this giant thing.
In the moment everyone was hesitating, Eugene spoke.
"I'll go get it. I can handle most things alone, so don't worry about me. If there are any pursuers, climb higher and keep watch."
"Yes."
"Then Harmony, let's go up to that balcony over there together."
However, her expression didn't look very pleased when she heard it.
"I think it's better for me to go to the balcony where I can see the rooftop passage. Barcode-nim can support Eugene from the tower right next to the helicopter pad."
"Don't you need to support? That guy's doing fine alone."
"If an enemy comes and he drops the circuit and dies, we might have to move that huge box right in the middle of the enemy. Or would you rather do it the other way?"
"No..."
'That fucking brat...'
The plan he had set was cracking.
Originally, while Eugene went to fetch the circuit, Harmony would exit the party, unload a full clip into her back, and escape. But now what was this nonsense?
What made it worse was that Harmony's words had logic to them.
In the end, this party revolved around Eugene. If he reached a situation she couldn't turn around, they would all die.
Moreover, she couldn't ask him to move the circuit and call the helicopter to reveal what would happen. She had cosplayed as a newbie—now she couldn't suddenly act like she knew everything?
A true dilemma.
But at that moment, the balcony Harmony's body had been about to climb came into view.
'...There, there must be a belay rope installed to climb up from behind...'
The moment that memory surfaced, everything became clear. The flare gun in his pocket seemed to sparkle.
He changed his expression in an instant and urged Harmony with a refreshed smile.
"Got it. Then go up first and wait."
"Okay."
With a rustling sound, Eugene lifted the heavy-looking circuit launcher he had brought in one hand and, in the other... who knew how, began moving while holding a machine gun.
Harmony strained with all her small body to pull up to her chin. Even that sight brought a smile. All the puzzle pieces were starting to fit.
While Eugene moved far enough away, she moved carefully too.
But there was one difference: the direction he was heading was not to the support tower but straight to the center of the helicopter landing pad.
───Click.
He pulled out the flare gun and loaded a signal flare into the chamber.
The interaction signal unfolding before his eyes at the same time as the cock. This was the moment he had endured everything for—the one that could break everything.
Along with the sharp pleasure he could only taste by doing something he shouldn't have, from the tips of his toes all the way up his spine to his head, he raised his arm.
The party's exit button was pressed, and a five-second countdown began.
"Huh? What is it, Barcode-nim? What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
And he pulled the trigger.
───Pwooooom!
"Think about it for yourself, you idiot."
-[Warning: A teammate has left the party.]
A small red sun rose into the air.
The three names in the UI corner shrank to two, and the person standing in the center of the helicopter pad rushed off in the opposite direction in a hurry.
The blindingly bright light floated up, flashing the center of the Manhattan hidden in darkness, and the pilot's voice full of incom filled with confusion.
At the same time, Eugene, who had been inserting the fuse into the circuit, confirmed the scene.
A chilling electronic hum rose above the icy wind.
-[.̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉W̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉a҉r̷̠̬͌n ҉i̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́n̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉g ҉ : ̷̠̬͌N̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉a̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉r ҉b̷̠̬͌y ҉h̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉a̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉v̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉i̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉l̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉y̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ a̷̠̬͌r̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉m̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉d̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉n̷̠̬͌e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉m̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉y̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ d̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉t̷̠̬͌e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉c̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉t̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉d̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ n̷̠̬͌e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉a̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉r̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉b̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉y̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉.]
-[.̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉W̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́a҉r̷̠̬͌n ҉i̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́n̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉g ҉ : .̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ ҉J̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́a̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉m̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉m̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉i̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉n̷̠̬͌g̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉ d̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉t̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉c̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉t̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉e̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉d̴̤͔̜̙̎̀̀́ ҉.]
Almost every character in the UI shattered.
Three smoke grenades popped up suddenly from the air with a certain interval, and electromagnetic pulse effects flickered above them.
Between them, three enemies emerged.
Hunters.
Armor-covered enemies adorned with trophies, Icarus gear only operators could wear. Thick bulletproof armor that seemed impenetrable and full tactical gear in black.
The mysterious enemies, faces completely hidden behind black bulletproof masks, took no long time to seize control of the entire helicopter pad.
At that moment, the circuit activated and lights flooded the entire rooftop.
Behind Harmony's panicked voice echoing through the crackling incom, Eugene murmured quietly behind the pouring wind.
"Fuck, the detonator isn't working."
The mysterious enemies who appeared the moment they called the helicopter to chase—hunters he had expected,
But the fact that they released an EMP upon appearing was something he hadn't considered.
He had predicted betrayal, but when evidence appeared thanks to the electromagnetic pulse, he couldn't take proper action.
Just in case, Harmony had one too, but...
She added to the temporarily cleaned incom.
"Ah, can you hear me?"
"Ah, yes! Eugene-nim, where are you now! I thought you were really betraying me, that bastard?!"
"This is common around here. Anyway, the situation isn't great. My trigger isn't working. Do you still have the detonator?"
"Yes! Should I press it now?"
"That's a slightly different proximity detection from mine, so it won't work right now. When that user gets close, press it. I'll handle the enemies."
Rustle.
From memory, they had a tendency to prioritize the highest-threat enemy while applying overall pressure. The metallic friction sound coming from nearby proved it.
The most difficult enemies she remembered were approaching right in front of her, prying open the past.
The battle began.