A boundless desert area.

Few cars, few people.

Only by sprinting with all your might might you see dilapidated houses, shops with their shutters half-rolled up, and wooden cabins eroded by time.

But that didn't mean there were rich supplies waiting for you. Instead, an enemy might suddenly pop up from a sand dune behind the residential area and shoot you in the back.

Qin Chuan didn't really like the desert map.

Just as he didn't much like the snow map, white and yellow just didn't bring the same sense of security as green.

What settled his mind and let him play the game was the person on his team.

Bo He was running ahead.

Qin Chuan was also sprinting behind her.

Unable to find a vehicle, they could only rely on their own two legs.

He could see her figure on the map interface. The system showed the distance between them was only a hundred meters.

Running across the desert map on a hot day, even while sitting in an air-conditioned room, inevitably made one feel surrounded by a heatwave.

A figure flickered behind a discarded shipping container not far away.

Qin Chuan sensed something, but by the time he adjusted his view, the person was gone.

Just as he was about to warn Bo He, he was hit by two shots.

Bo He reacted extremely quickly, turning and crouching behind a tree. She scoped in twice in an instant, locked onto the enemy, and when they peeked out again to aim at Qin Chuan, Bo He eliminated them.

But Qin Chuan saw another enemy.

It was their accomplice.

Within a few seconds, typing or using auto-reply would be too slow. Only voice chat could accurately point out the enemy's position to Bo He.

In that instant, the enemy had already gotten to the second floor.

Gunshots rang out.

The enemy's aim was very accurate, and they were targeting Bo He. She was just peeking out, and before Qin Chuan could warn her, she was hit.

This game had plenty of noobs, but experts were also everywhere. Players of Bo He's caliber weren't common, but they were by no means a rare few.

In a duo queue, with both team members knocked down simultaneously, injured teammates couldn't revive each other. Their battle in the desert was doomed to end prematurely.

Qin Chuan was a little annoyed.

Meeting a worthy opponent was a kind of fun, but today, Qin Chuan only wanted to make Bo He see him in a new light.

He had been playing solo for several days and could feel himself improving bit by bit. He had already left the ranks of noobs and entered the level of a decent expert who could at least carry others.

To this end, he had even specifically found a few random squad or solo queue teams, leading his 'delicate' teammates to fight their way out and ultimately get a chicken dinner. This boosted Qin Chuan's gaming confidence to an unprecedented level.

Who knew that on this first outing, he would meet with such a crushing defeat.

He typed to Bo He: I saw the enemy just now, but I didn't have time to tell you.

Bo He quickly replied: It's okay, but if possible, I'd like to hear your sweet voice too.

Boss Qin, the owner of the "sweet voice," stiffened.

He hesitated for a moment, then typed a line: My voice isn't pleasant.

Bo He: I can't say voice isn't important, it does affect people's impression of you, but it's something that can be changed. Many people, through professional vocal training, can change their original vocal tone and cadence. And I think the most important thing is to not care about what others think. You are you, unique.

Qin Chuan could almost see Bo He, eager to comfort him, pausing on every word, choosing her phrases carefully.

She could have just used voice chat, which would have been less effort, but she was probably afraid of saying the wrong thing and making Qin Chuan even more unhappy.

If you found out I was hiding something, but with no ill intent and not on purpose, would you forgive me?

Qin Chuan had originally typed out this sentence.

But the moment before hitting send, he felt a pang of regret. He deleted it and replied with only a single "Mm."

This word was much safer.

Qin Chuan felt a subtle gloom, unable to pinpoint the reason.

But, if Bo He had known his identity from the start, the two of them would never have had this moment of harmonious gaming and casual chatting.

Qin Chuan thought that he would have held onto his prejudice against this junior employee until she resigned.

For the position Bo He held, if he posted a job opening, with Shengming Company's salary and benefits, a pile of resumes from top university graduates would be on his desk for him to choose from at any time. Even if he wanted resumes from prestigious overseas universities, it wouldn't be impossible to find them.

None of those people were her.

Pushing aside his distracting thoughts, Qin Chuan asked her: Another round?

She replied: Okay.

This time, he thought, he would definitely make her see him in a new light.

The second round began.

Qin Chuan chose the rainforest map.

The screen was the familiar mix of emerald green and a distant azure blue, immediately soothing eyes that had seen too much of the desert.

The two of them landed at Paradise Resort.

Qin Chuan chose the spot.

A brave warrior must dare to face the enemy head-on with a strategy, not just hide until the end.

This was his takeaway from the game.

When he first started playing chicken dinner games, Qin Chuan didn't know which locations had a lot of supplies, which locations tended to attract many experts, or which locations had a high chance of being inside the safe zone or even the final circle. It was Bo He who explained it all to him bit by bit, saving him from many detours.

Now, as he led Bo He in their descent, his proficient movements for running and looting showed he had completely shed his noob status.

Jumping from the roof to the second floor, Qin Chuan had just picked up an AK and hadn't yet found a bulletproof vest when he heard Bo He's voice: "Enemies outside, more than one!"

The sound of messy footsteps followed.

Qin Chuan's heart tightened, and he immediately ran back the way he came.

Gunshots rang out from behind. He narrowly avoided them, the bullets hitting the wall.

A few days ago, the noob Boss Qin might have run right into the line of fire.