[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Climbing to a higher point allows you to see more of the landscape, helping you decide which direction to escape in, and sending a distress signal from the mountaintop makes it easier to be detected.

The higher you go, the less vegetation cover you'll see, and the less likely you are to encounter wild animals.

Let's get started and set off!

You braided your loose hair into a plait and pulled up the hood of your windbreaker to prevent your hair and face from getting caught on tree branches.

Use the wooden stick in your hand to clear the way and avoid stepping on snakes, insects, and animal traps.

Your plan was perfect, but as the sun rose and set, and evening approached, you still hadn't reached the summit.

Okay, you have to accept reality, you're lost.

Exhausted and overwhelmed by disappointment, you slump to the ground in despair.

Sudden dangers don't allow you to react in time, but this sense of aimless struggle is even more torturous.

You suddenly feel like crying, your eyes well up with tears, and your throat emits intermittent sobs.

However, before you could be sad for long, a noise from not far away made your heart jump into your throat!

At times like this, your throat feels like it's blocked with cotton, unable to make a sound, and you dare not make a sound at all.

He just stared intently at that spot, gripping the wooden stick even tighter.

One second...

Two seconds...

There was another rustling sound!

An object suddenly rose from the ground!

Chapter 2: It's him! Evil Android!

Almost simultaneously, you also grabbed the wooden sticks with both hands and aimed them at the 'thing' that suddenly appeared!

It was an algae-green net, topped with a ring of withered branches and leaves.

It looks familiar, but you can't quite place what it is.

You stare intently at the other person, who remains motionless, seemingly... meeting your gaze.

You don't know what the other person is, but you're certain it's alive because of that oppressive gaze.

After a brief standoff, the other party finally took the initiative.

A pair of hands covered in thick gloves appeared in front of the net, and then with a push, a figure nimbly jumped up.

He was a burly man.

The man raised his hand and swung away the withered branches disguised on his head, revealing the algae-green net covering his head completely.

He was wearing a grass-green camouflage combat uniform and had a long black gun slung over his back, which, judging by its length, was most likely a sniper rifle.

Although his entire body was completely covered, not a trace of skin was visible, the oppressive aura emanating from him made people subconsciously feel the danger.

Your eyes widened suddenly. He...he is...

But before you could speak, the man spoke first.

"English yes or no?"

His voice is magnetic and steady, yet it has a youthful clarity, and the slightly drawn-out ending notes give it a touch of inexplicable sexiness.

He spoke slowly and concisely, seemingly so that you could easily understand.

You were stunned for a few seconds before you came to your senses and quickly nodded.

"And it is"

After receiving a reply, he slowly walked towards you and finally squatted down in front of you.

"Where are you from, and how did you get here?"

“China I…”

Knowing the identity of the person in front of you, you dare not delay, so you try to pick up your English, which you haven't used much since graduation, and then respond with a mix of truth and falsehood.

“I was just on vacation when I was drugged and knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself in this forest. I managed to escape, but I accidentally fell down the mountain. I was afraid that the bad guys would come looking for me, so I wanted to leave here as soon as possible.”

To gain his trust, you should try your best to put on a sincere expression, then look at him with pleading eyes and a pitiful expression.

"Can you protect me and get me out of here? Please..."

The man remained silent for a long time after hearing this. Just as you were wondering if there was something wrong with your English expression, he let out a soft chuckle, followed by a mischievous question:

"Protect me? How can you be so sure I'm a good person? Or... not one of them?"

Of course you couldn't tell the truth, so you just shook your head and calmly said:

"Your attire and the sniper rifle on your back indicate that you are a sniper. Snipers are soldiers, and in China, soldiers are always righteous."

The man tilted his head, his tone still flippant:

"Justice? You're such a delicate flower. This isn't China, and not all soldiers are righteous. Besides... I'm not a regular soldier; I'm a mercenary. So, no matter how pitifully you look at me with your big eyes, I won't soften my heart."

You lower your head in disappointment, silently thinking to yourself: If you're not soft-hearted, why did you even show up? And you even said all this to me...

Hey, wait a minute!

You put down the wooden stick you were holding, and then forcefully pulled your right hand across your left wrist!

You reach out and hand it to him, and a round gold bracelet comes into view.

"Since you're a mercenary, can I hire you to escort me out with this?"

Although my heart is bleeding, it's nothing compared to my life right now.

The man took the bracelet and silently examined it, seemingly considering whether it was worth it.

You're a little flustered, after all, you're not sure if he'll accept it, and you're even more afraid that he'll find it troublesome and just shoot you dead, or that it would be easier to just take your valuables.

The situation is not in your favor. You cannot argue with him, nor can you reveal your fear. You must try your best to appear harmless.

So you play the victim to him: "They took my passport and cash, this is all I have. It was a coming-of-age gift from my parents, and I wouldn't have given it up if I hadn't really had no other choice. Please, since you're going out anyway, could you take me with you?"

You're lying to him. You actually saved up money to buy it yourself, just to deal with emergencies.

You went through all the sad things in your mind before you managed to squeeze out a few tears.

The man didn't say much, but stood up, put the bracelet in his pocket, and then bent down to extend his hand to you.

"I accept your deal."

You happily took his hand and used it to stand up.

"You are indeed a good person; the gods will bless you!"

The man didn't respond to your compliment, but turned away and said something.

"gone."

Watching the man's retreating figure, you immediately felt relieved, knowing that at least he could definitely lead you out of here.

Your confidence stems from your knowledge of what it means to be a man.

The moment you see him, you realize where you've been transported to—the world of a shooting game.

Because your younger brother loves to play, you've gotten to know him to some extent through what you've seen and heard, and he's even dragged you to play with him for a while.

The man in front of you happens to be one of the operators you used.

He's also an operator your brother likes to use, so you know quite a bit about him.

Although he agreed to escort you, you still have nowhere to go after leaving the mountains. After all, you are essentially an unregistered person in this world, and you have given away the only valuable thing you have.

If you want to find a place to stay, or even a way to return to your original world, you only have one choice.

And he might be able to help you.

The man is focused on moving forward, so you can't easily strike up a conversation or try to get closer to him; you can only silently follow behind him.

You didn't have another conversation until night fell.

After traveling for nearly three hours, and given the darkness and the difficult, dangerous roads, we have to stop and rest for your safety.

The mountain night was chilly, so he skillfully built a fire, both for warmth and for light.

Beside the fire, he took out a water bottle from one of the equipment pouches on his waist belt and drank a few mouthfuls under the cover of the net.

Then he took out a compressed biscuit and ate it in silence.

Seeing this, you rummaged through your backpack and pulled out a small packaged cake and a bag of beef jerky, handing them to him.

"Would you like...something like this?"

He didn't stand on ceremony and took it directly.

You can only continue speaking after you've seen him eat your food:

Hey, what should I call you?

He said casually, "Whatever."

You press on: "How can you be so casual? That's very impolite. You can tell me your name."

The man stopped eating, raised his head slightly, and seemed to be staring at you.

Why do you want to know my name?

You: "Just... let's be friends."

He held the beef jerky in his hand, swaying it casually.

"Friends? I don't want to be friends with you. But... I can tell you, as payment for feeding you."

He then gave his name: "Sebastian Krueger."

Chapter 3: Safe Arrival at the Base

After he gives his name, you immediately respond politely:

Mr. Krueger