I crouch on the ridge, eyes scanning the final zone. Only four of us left. The circle is tiny now — sandy dunes scattered with ruined buildings, collapsed sand walls, and loose sand holes. Every step matters.
The storm warning flashes again. Minor damage ticks keep coming, visibility's slightly reduced, but I've got to stay sharp.
I check my loadout quickly:
SCAR-L with 4x, full mag
UZI with extended mag
Energy drink x1 — boost almost full
Bandages x3
I position myself behind a partially collapsed sand wall. It's fragile, but it gives me temporary cover. From here, I can see the remaining players:
Player #1, prone behind a dune about 25 meters ahead, holding an AR.
Player #2, partially burrowed near a small sand crater, roughly 20 meters to my left.
Player #3, crouched near a collapsed building 30 meters forward.
I take a moment to observe their patterns. Player #3 looks crouched but exposed behind the rubble. That's my first target.
I lean slightly right to peek and fire a short burst from the SCAR-L. Tap tap tap. Hit markers pop up. Player #3 reacts, popping upright to peek, and the sand wall near him shakes from previous storm damage.
I fire again — controlled burst — and Player #3 goes down. Looting him gives me a Level 2 vest at 30% durability and 60 rounds of 5.56 ammo. Only three of us remain now, including me.
I rotate slightly to the left dune, keeping low. Player #2 is partially burrowed into the sand crater. New mechanic in play — burrowed players are mostly camouflaged, but the upper torso and gun tip can be seen if you're close or precise.
I adjust my angle, line up on the gun tip sticking above the sand, and fire a controlled burst with the UZI. Hits. The enemy reacts, trying to fully burrow, but the sand above collapses under the storm's previous impact and my bullets. A second burst finishes him off.
Two left now: me and Player #1. He's prone behind a dune, roughly 25 meters away, AR in hand. Storm tick is still chipping away at both of us.
I decide to use the burrow mechanic myself for an ambush. I crouch-prone partially into the sand, leaving only my head and SCAR-L muzzle visible. I shift slightly, moving into better cover behind a small sand wall.
Player #1 starts moving forward, trying to flank to my right. I hear the faint crunch of sand under his steps — he's slowed by the loose sand holes. I wait.
First burst hits his chest. He reacts, spraying his AR wildly. Bullets hit the sand mound near me, partially collapsing it. I fire a second controlled burst — headshot. He goes down. Kill confirmed.
One alive. Me. Top 1 in Desert Storm.
….
Kaze sits back, breathing heavily, scanning final zone.
He switches mic to chat — first words:
"Chat… we did it… top 1, Desert Storm — 4 kills total this round but tactical… every new mechanic hit perfectly."
Chat explodes with messages.
Superchats, gifts, emotes flood in.
"Yeah yeah… saw that burrow, right? Sand collapse mechanic? That saved me a ton… new map insane… storm, building collapse… all real-time."
Kaze laughs slightly:
"I didn't talk much during early game — needed focus — now I can breathe… chat, that was insane."
He scrolls chat:
"Wow… multiple superchats… thank you guys… this map, I swear, it changes the moment you move… can't take a step without checking sand holes, storm, cover, building collapse… insane…"
He leans back — checks match stats:
Kills: 4
Damage dealt: 1,260
Survival time: 24 minutes
Kaze previews next map rotation pop-up in game menu.
He says:
"Chat… if you want, we can queue again — maybe test more mechanics or go full aggressive next… I'll see if we can keep top 1 streak alive."
He sits quietly for a moment — eyes on chat, reading tips, reaction to new Desert Storm mechanics.
"Storm tick, collapsible sand, burrow — all these mechanics… feels like real tactical survival…"
…
Chat spammed:
BRO YOU ARE BUILT FOR THIS MAP
THIS IS THE BEST MAP SO FAR
LEO IS A BEAST FOR THIS UPDATE
Kaze exhaled. "Yeah… this map is insane."
He wasn't saying it for effect.
He meant it.
The map felt alive.
Reactive.
Unpredictable — in a fair way.
This was what people were talking about — not the drama — not the accusations.
The public was having fun.
This was the window Leo wanted.
…
Meanwhile — in the backend — at that exact same time —
Aether Corp executed their move.
Their intrusion vector reactivated.
Their payload tunneled through the same chained vendor route.
They thought they were silent.
But the moment they touched Leo's perimeter — they triggered it.
A silent flash message appeared on Leo's screen:
"EXTERNAL FORCE BREACH DETECTED — AETHER CORP / DARK SIGNATURE CONFIRMED — GO LIVE?"
Leo didn't hesitate.
He clicked YES.
Instantly — every livestream, every match UI, every Ground Zero player got a red overlay message mid-screen:
"UNAUTHORIZED BREACH ATTEMPT DETECTED — SOURCE: AETHER CORP NETWORK"
All players saw it — in real time.
Including Kaze — on stream.
His camera caught his reaction.
His eyes widened.
"…Holy sh*t — what the hell was that?"
Chat went nuclear.
WTF
AETHER CAUGHT LIVE???
IS THIS REAL?
IS THIS A EVENT OR REAL HACK??
Kaze was frozen — staring at the screen — not the desert anymore.
At the same second — Leo pushed the second trigger.
The evidence vault.
Every single file they stole.
Every stolen player data trace.
Every stack fingerprint.
Every matching artifact.
He released it publicly.
Encrypted package.
Documented.
Timestamped.
The internet detonated.
The timing was perfect — people were literally playing the patch when the exposure dropped.
The public reaction shifted in one violent snap.
Even Kaze's chat went insane:
THEY GOT CAUGHT LIVE
BRO LEO SET THEM UP
THIS WAS A BAIT
THIS IS LEGIT PROOF
Kaze leaned back…
"This is insane…"
He wasn't wrong.
Aether had fired first — in front of the entire world — and Leo didn't dodge.
He let them swing — then flipped the light on.
And now — everyone could see exactly who was holding the knife.