The defender's Valkyrie kept watching through the camera feed. She spotted Ben and his team at the door and got a little excited as she called out their position: "They're here, they're here! Same team setup as last round, all five of them are coming from the back!"
Ben had only taken out the camera on the streetlight. He completely missed the bulky prototype object wrapped in black cloth at the corner of the stairs.
This spot was pretty hidden. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't see it at all.
Plus, since scanning for enemies could give away your position, the defender's Valkyrie didn't use her scan here. She didn't even ping with the basic marker. Instead, she described their location out loud.
The defender's Valkyrie felt like she was about to score a big win this round!
Valkyrie's gadget is a throwable camera that can be turned in any direction. Earlier, she had tossed one near the stairs in the central kitchen.
Next up were the stairs behind the warehouse.
He suddenly got an idea and tried to remove the door, but at first it showed a red air wall blocking it. He wasted one without throwing it out, even though he had shot it himself.
But once the game officially started, he found he could toss the camera through. Then he resealed the door barrier right away.
He thought this was a perfect setup. And from the other team's reaction, it seemed they hadn't noticed anything wrong at all!
Meanwhile, Ben and his team stayed very careful. After all, they weren't sure if the other side had heard them breach the door.
At the same time, his IQ had already picked up the scanner, since using it meant he could only fire his pistol.
Out of the whole team, only Sledge and he had long guns, so they were the main sources of firepower in the game.
"The door is blocked? Joey, it's on you! Everyone get to your spots. After Sledge breaches, the big shield and flash shield rush out right away, then the flash shield pops the flash."
"Quick and fast! Show off our Rainbow Six squad's pro skills!" Ben gave a quick reminder, then Sledge breached the door.
With a crack, the wooden door barrier shattered in an instant, just like they planned.
The big shield operator rushed out first. But right then, a dark object landed at the group's door.
Remote bomb!
Wells, holding the big shield, was fine. The shield held up strong.
But Hannah, who came out second with the flash shield, got her shield blown right off.
Before Ben and the others behind her could figure out what was happening, two more dark remote bombs flew in.
One of them went off wrong because of the defenders' mistake—it double-fired but only hit once, and it accidentally killed one of their own teammates.
But in the tight space, with Zack and the rest charging straight ahead, by the time they realized what was going on, it was too late to stop.
Along with a loud boom.
Zack, Ben, and Joey, who were following behind, all got blasted into the air.
Only Wells was left, stunned and still holding his shield up, as he backed into the corner shaking.
But at that moment, the new defender operator chuckled from across the way. He pulled a black block from his pants and tossed it right at Wells' head.
The remote bomb landed on the ground, and with the button press, it went off.
Another loud boom.
The shield was tough, but people are a lot more fragile.
"What the heck! How are there so many bombs!" Ben was totally numb.
"Holy crap, this anti-terror game is way too real!?" Zack was shocked too.
"This train-rush tactic isn't working at all!" Hannah said, sounding a bit down.
The regular players outside at the internet cafe, who were watching, all burst out laughing.
It even felt more fun than watching pro streamers play live.
It was just so entertaining.
"Haha, I'm done! You can play this game like that? Pick five operators with remote bombs!?"
"But I think understanding intel and the map is super key in this game. Those train-rush guys could have used a remote car to check behind the door first, make sure it's safe before moving in."
"Yeah, the defenders used Valkyrie's camera to spot their positions early. They set up a trap ahead of time and just waited for them to walk into it."
"This game feels like instant deaths when you meet up. Gun skills matter some, but compared to other shooters where aim is everything, this one lets you win through intel gathering and map knowledge to lock down a spot!"
"Yeah! And the different operator skills are huge too. In this round, without that Valkyrie camera spotting them and letting the team group up early, they might have taken one out in the shadows, but once they pushed into the bigger training room, it would have been hard to say."
Compared to Ben and his team in the game, the players at the internet cafe couldn't play themselves without machines, so they just watched. From their god's-eye view, they got an even deeper feel for what made Rainbow Six Siege different at its core.
"Ahem, just a fluke. Next is the defense round. I think defending will be easier." Ben cleared his throat.
Even though they had lost two in a row and were at match point.
But it wasn't hopeless yet.
"I strongly doubt that!" Zack chimed in.
"Agreed!" Hannah followed right up, teaming with Zack.
"We switched spots this round!" Ben quickly changed the subject.
The map was still the Chicago mansion. Last time it was the underground garage area.
Now the bomb sites were on the second floor, in the kids' bedroom and the office across from it.
"What operators to pick?" Zack sighed as he asked.
They were already down two points. From start to finish, only Zack had gotten a kill at the beginning with his shots, and Ben finished one off.
As for the last round, the other side lost one, but it was to their own teammate's kill.
That red triangle was still lit up now.
"Just play your strengths!" The train-rush tactic had failed two rounds straight, and Ben was feeling a bit lost.
Once in the game, the group felt the difference between defense and attack.
They could board up lots of doorways with wood. Some gypsum walls could even get a layer of metal sheets.
"This feels a bit like home improvement! We're the hardworking builders on defense, and the attackers are the demolition crew." Joey thought of something and chuckled.
"Cut the talk, let's build fast. But the other side seems lost too. They've been searching forever and still haven't found the bombs." Zack covered every wall in the kids' bedroom that could take metal with sheets.
He also swapped the three wooden windows for his Castle operator's armor panels.
"Holy crap, this kids' bedroom feels totally unbeatable now!"
That's when Ben noticed what made the kids' bedroom special.
All the walls were lined with steel plates, and the windows were covered with bulletproof armor panels. It was like a fortress.
Forget people—even a fly couldn't get in.
"You bet, my seals are top-notch!" Zack grinned too.
"I have a bold idea! What if all five of us just stay in here?" Ben had a thought and suggested it.
"All crammed inside? Leaving the other site unguarded?" Zack questioned.
"This round, maybe we let that one go. Teach the other side a lesson, knock down their ego. Last round was too frustrating!" Hannah suggested too. It had really ticked her off.
"Give them a surprise. Door opens, five guns right in their faces!" Wells chuckled.
"I set up cameras in the room. And sis... look what I have!" Joey, who picked Valkyrie this round, pulled a dark remote bomb from his pocket.
"It's settled! Act pro about it. Hannah, Joey, you two lie up front. We three crouch in back. Strike a pose and give them a huge surprise!"
(End of chapter)
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