Kaze clicked "Ready."
Queue pops in six seconds.
Match loads.
The screen flashes the new map logo: Desert Storm. The terrain looks massive—sandy plains stretching for miles, jagged rocky ridges, only a few scattered trees, and wide open sight lines. Long-range engagements are going to be the norm here.
….
I quickly adjust my sensitivity, just a notch higher for long-range control.
"Chat, this is the new map… Desert Storm. First time I'm playing it live. Let's see how it feels."
The lobby countdown starts. I spin a full 360, testing my movement. Everything feels normal. Ping's stable.
The game loads me into the plane.
I check the flight path—it cuts diagonally from south-west to north-east. I pull up the map and look at the drop points. Several clusters are marked, but I decide to go for the high ground region. I mark a spot slightly outside a small town cluster, near a ridge.
"Chat,. I don't know this map yet, but high ground looks like it could be good for sniping."
The plane is getting closer. I time it right and jump.
Free fall. I aim straight down for speed—230 km/h. The wind rushes past, everything below growing larger by the second. I glide toward a cluster of five low sandstone buildings.
Two other players are landing in the same area.
I track their positions. One is landing slightly left, on a warehouse roof. The other is heading straight for the building opposite mine.
I hit the rooftop of a small two-story house. First thing—I scan around for weapons. Roof clear? Nothing. I need to move fast before someone else grabs gear or spots me.
Roof is clear. No gun in sight.
I jump down onto the balcony, notice the window is open, and slip inside. The room's small.
Loot here:
P1911 pistol
9mm ammo (not useful, my pistol takes .45 ACP)
Smoke grenade
I grab the P1911 anyway and load a magazine.
Next room, I spot an UZI sitting on the table. I pick it up and load it full. No attachments yet.
Footsteps downstairs catch my attention. Volume is moderate — not sprinting, so someone's looting. I crouch near the staircase and listen.
I hear a reload — probably a shotgun. I slowly rotate to cover the stairs.
A wooden step creaks beneath someone moving upward. I pre-aim. As soon as the top of the head shows, I fire the UZI.
Tat tat tat tat tat.
The player falls backward mid-stair. I stop immediately to save ammo.
Loot from the body:
S686 double-barrel shotgun
.45 ACP ammo
Level 1 armor
I keep the UZI and the shotgun for now, switching to S686 in case I run into another close-range target. I reload both barrels.
Outside, I hear quick sprinting — someone moving along the left side of the building. I jump through a window to the roof of a small shack connected by a short ledge. I crouch at the corner, angled toward the left building.
I spot a second guy crouched on a balcony, trying to get an angle through a doorway. Distance is about 9–10 meters.
I aim the S686, step out one step, and fire one barrel.
Boom. Blood splashes.
The player tries to side-step behind the balcony wall. I push fast, jump onto the balcony railing platform, fire the second barrel.
Boom. Target's down.
Shots will draw attention, so I retreat inside immediately. I reload both barrels again.
Distant AR fire catches my ear — around 80–100 meters away. I decide to loot quickly.
Inside a corner of the room, I find:
2x holo sight
5.56 ammo
SCAR-L
I pick up the SCAR-L, attach a holo sight, drop the S686, but keep the UZI for close-range fights. I now have good mid- and close-range coverage.
The zone circle appears, slightly southeast. Still early.
I rotate to the balcony and crouch, scanning toward the warehouse where a third player landed earlier. I see someone peek the second-floor window.
I crouch and hold my SCAR-L angle. The target ducks. I lean left slowly for a peek, then return to cover to bait.
Two seconds later, the warehouse guy shows again — pistol in hand. I fire bursts.
Tap tap tap.
Two hits. The target ducks back inside. I decide on a hard right flank.
I jump down from the balcony, take minor fall damage, and crouch-run behind a sandstone wall around the warehouse. I hear footsteps — the player's repositioning.
I approach the corner of the big sliding door, listening. The guy reloads a pistol — probably switching to an AR inside the crate section. I switch back to the UZI for the push.
I pre-angle at head height, peek the corner. The player stands near a stack of crates, not looking my way yet. I fire a short burst.
Tat tat tat tat.
Target goes down. I quickly move to a side doorway and close the door to block the town's line of sight.
Loot here:
Level 2 vest
Extended mag for SMG
2x scope
5.56 ammo
I attach the extended mag to the UZI and put the 2x scope on the SCAR-L. Zone timer's ticking. I drink an energy drink from the loot.
I open the map. Next rotation heads downhill into the valley, then up to the stone ridge.
"Chat, this map is too open… need to move cover to cover… long sight lines."
I head toward the valley, staying crouched, moving slowly, checking every angle.