"Holy crap, the squad at B just got annihilated!"

"First game and they're already pulling a cheesy rush strat. These guys are seriously trying to flex on the streamers. Unreal."

First Blood.

The UI filled with messages signaling that things weren’t looking great. Of the 12 player names displayed on one side, three had already turned black, marking their deaths. They were stuck waiting out the respawn timer, with at least 45 seconds left until they could rejoin the fight.

The cold winter wind seemed to carry the scent of blood, though the lingering smell of gunpowder was undeniable.

Among the 30,000 viewers who had queued up to play alongside the streamers, many were familiar with Domination mode. They didn’t need much time to figure out what had happened.

Four versus ten.

The unnaturally slow capture of C and the near-instantaneous disintegration of the streamer squad at B meant one thing: the enemy team had left just one or two at C and sent the rest of their forces—nearly ten players—charging straight at B.

The early stages of Domination mode were a psychological game, much like rock-paper-scissors. There were ways to counter the strategy the enemy had employed, but the window for doing so was rapidly closing.

The best counter-strategy at this point would have been to split the forces, send some back to flank C, and create a pincer maneuver. While the enemy was busy bullying B, A and C could be captured, leaving the enemy squad isolated and vulnerable.

But it was too late for that now. The initial momentum had been lost, and the streamer squad had been overrun in the opening clash. While Domination was known for its back-and-forth action, with frequent comebacks and reversals, the beginning skirmish had gone entirely in the enemy's favor.

Meanwhile, in the respawn waiting room, Kimstone, Hotteok, and Limit were already strategizing about their next move. The idea of flanking C and catching the enemy off guard was already forming.

"Let’s tell Harmony when she gets here. Looks like the enemy isn’t planning to push A just yet, so maybe we can take the chance to head to C."

"If we time it right, we could screw up their respawn cycle and positions. Not a bad idea. As long as they don’t turtle up too hard."

"Man, that early rush hit us like a truck. Still, we managed to take down two of them before dying, so our allies shouldn’t have too hard of a time."

Each offered their thoughts as they analyzed the situation. They couldn’t undo their deaths, but in Domination mode, no one ever stayed down for long. The game’s constant back-and-forth nature meant that even after being wiped, there was always a chance to recover.

Their respawn timers ticked down, but 45 seconds was still quite a long wait, with 30 seconds left on the clock.

As the seconds slipped away, the conversation naturally quieted down—a rare occurrence for streamers who thrived on constant commentary.

But today, it was understandable.

"Uh... guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Where’s Harmony?"

Where was she?

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

• [Warning: Seeker Mine detected.]

"Oh crap, maybe I should’ve just died back there!"

Bullets flew.

Dozens of rounds whipped past Harmony as she dashed between cover, barely avoiding the relentless barrage. A squad of enemies was on her tail, determined not to let her escape. Luckily for her, their aim was sloppy, more a spray of bullets than the precise single shots she feared.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she sprinted, weaving around shattered cars, mailboxes, transformers, and streetlights—anything that offered a sliver of protection. Bullets shattered glass and punctured metal all around her, the sound of ricocheting rounds and crumbling concrete filling the air.

"Remember, just staying alive can change the game."

Yujin’s voice echoed in her mind.

With a whole enemy squad on her tail, those words rang true. Somehow, she had managed to break through their lines, though she still wasn’t sure how.

She needed to find a more complex terrain—a place where the environment would work to her advantage. An alleyway, perhaps. Somewhere less exposed than the wide-open main road she was currently sprinting down.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The snow crunched underfoot as she pivoted sharply, her feet sliding on the slick surface. She spotted a narrow, darkened alley ahead. It wasn’t much, but it was better than the open street she was currently trapped on.

A Seeker Mine closed in behind her. Without turning to look, she raised her gun and fired a quick burst, sending rounds scattering into the device. The explosion rocked the air around her, its blast kicking up a blinding cloud of snow.

"Agh!"

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The explosion felt like a truck slamming into her back, but she kept her feet. Barely.

The alley was more winding than expected, with stairs and corridors that twisted and turned. She pushed forward, sprinting up the stairs and through several bends, trying to shake the pursuit.

After two more sharp turns, she paused, realizing she needed to regroup and rearm.

• "Holy crap, how did she survive that?"

• "HARMONY! HARMONY! HARMONY! HARMONY!"

• "Yujin’s training is no joke!"

• "Breaking through a 10-man squad? Insane."

• "This is intense!"

CLACK.

She paid no mind to the rapidly scrolling chat. With practiced precision, Harmony swapped her empty magazine for a fresh one, her hands moving with muscle memory.

In just over a second, she had reloaded.

Six hours of practicing reloads alone had paid off, she thought, silently thanking Yujin.

• [Notice: Pulse activated.]

BEEP!

Four enemies were closing in. The narrow, winding alley had slowed their advance considerably, but they were still coming. Carefully. Cautiously. They were wary of an ambush.

It was the right call.

Yujin had told her countless times—in close-quarters combat (CQB) in Dark Zone, the key was overwhelming firepower in a short window. In a scenario like this, where enemies had both body armor and nanomachine shields, the goal wasn’t just to neutralize the first threat, but to do so before their backup overwhelmed her.

The plan Yujin had drilled into her involved a crucial piece of kit.

CLICK.

Grenades.

Not one. Not two. But three.

In one fluid motion, Harmony pulled the pins on all three grenades. The enemies were only seven meters away—close, but not too close. They were closing the distance, slowly but surely, with two shielded Pointmen in the lead and the remaining two trailing a bit farther back.

5 meters.

1 second.

3 meters.

2 seconds.

CLINK.

Then, there was light.

BOOM!

The triple explosion rocked the entire alley, sending shockwaves through the air. Even the nanomachine defenses registered the damage. But Harmony didn’t waste time.

Emerging from the smoke, one of the Pointmen staggered, his shield shattered and discarded. She raised her rifle and delivered swift judgment.

In full-auto.

Drrrrrrrrrrrrt!

"Aaargh!"

It only took a second for the first Pointman to drop, his armor shredded by the burst.

The second came at her, guns blazing. She shifted her aim to his head, emptying what remained of her magazine. The shots ate through his shield, but before she could finish him, her magazine clicked empty.

No hesitation.

Following Yujin’s training, Harmony dropped her rifle and smoothly drew her sidearm.

BANG!

One shot. But this was only the beginning.

The secret to fast shooting with a pistol, Yujin had taught her, was finding the "wall" on the trigger—the point just before the gun fires. With her grip locked and the sights aligned, Harmony’s finger found that sweet spot and bounced back and forth, firing off six rapid shots.

The nanomachine shields shattered, and the second Pointman dropped.

"Phew, time to bail."

• "WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?!?"

• "WTF???"

• "She’s a monster!"

• "OMG, she just tore through them like butter!"

• "She did that like it was nothing!"

There was no time to celebrate.

She had managed to down the two Pointmen, but the remaining enemies were still alive and would be coming at her soon, angrier than ever. She fired off a few suppressive shots at the approaching enemies, buying herself precious seconds. She quickly looted a grenade off one of the downed bodies, pulling the pin and letting it clink ominously against the concrete.

Yujin had once told her that just the sound of a grenade pin being pulled could be enough to send enemies into a panic.

Harmony planned to test that theory.

CLINK!

The moment she pulled the pin, the enemies charged, hoping to close the gap before the grenade could go off.

Harmony, however, had no intention of staying put. She sprinted away as fast as she could, just as the grenade exploded behind her.

BOOM!

One enemy got caught in the blast, his body thrown into the air as the grenade sent shrapnel flying. Meanwhile, the other enemy rushed forward, only to find Harmony had already moved on. She darted back toward A, reloading her rifle with fresh rounds.

With each step, she drew closer to victory. The pressure was mounting, but so was the thrill of the chase. Her every move echoed with the lessons Yujin had drilled into her, and she could feel the results.

• [Notice: Allied forces are requesting backup.]

"They crushed us with numbers earlier. Now it's our turn."

The rest of the team was rallying, and Harmony smiled darkly.

Her turn to lead the charge had come.