The international finals were different.
No cheering crowds this time.
No loud commentators.
Just silence.
A private LAN arena. The best 16 squads in the world.
No room for mistakes. No second chances.
I sat beside ViperQueen.
For the first time, she wasn't smiling.
"You nervous?" I asked.
She didn't look at me.
"Only when something matters."
The plane took off.
The Drop – No Mercy Lobby
This wasn't ranked.
This wasn't qualifiers.
This was predators hunting predators.
We jumped early. A risky compound near the center.
Bad decision.
Two squads landed with us.
Bullets everywhere.
ViperQueen knocked one. I traded another.
Then—
Crack.
She got headshot.
Knocked.
My heart stopped.
"Don't revive. They're pushing," she whispered calmly.
But I wasn't leaving her.
Smoke out.
Pre-fire left angle.
Spray right.
One down.
Footsteps behind.
I flicked.
Red screen.
1 HP.
Again.
I crawled to her through smoke and revived with 0.3 seconds left before push.
We escaped. Barely.
Mid Game – The Mistake
Circle shifted hard south.
We rotated late.
That was my call.
And it cost us.
We got gatekept.
Crossfire from two ridges.
ViperQueen dropped first.
This time… I couldn't save her.
I tried.
I really did.
But the angles were impossible.
I survived alone to top 5.
But we didn't win.
Second place.
For the first time… I felt heavy.
Backstage, she finally spoke.
"You hesitated."
"I didn't want to lose you."
She looked at me seriously.
"You don't win by protecting me.
You win by trusting me."
That hit harder than any headshot.
Final Match – Trust or Fear
Everything came down to the last match.
Points were tight.
One win could decide everything.
Plane path across Erangel again.
This time, no hesitation.
We landed separate angles. Split control.
Aggressive but smart.
Perfect rotations.
Perfect communication.
Final 3 squads.
Zone: open field. No rocks. No trees.
Death zone.
We had to move first.
"Trust me," she said.
She ran out, full exposure.
Enemy squad focused her.
That was the bait.
I flanked wide left through a dip in terrain.
Spray.
Knock.
Grenade.
Double kill.
But she was low.
Very low.
Final 1v1.
Enemy prone in grass.
No movement.
No sound.
Circle closing.
ViperQueen whispered softly:
"1 HP Legend… finish it."
I closed my eyes for half a second.
Listened.
Tiny grass rustle.
Left side.
I sprayed.
Silence.
Then—
"WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER."
Aftermath
No screaming.
No dramatic music.
Just quiet satisfaction.
We didn't just win with aim.
We won with trust.
Backstage, she looked at me and smirked.
"Still think you're just lucky?"
I smiled.
"No. I think we're dangerous."
And that night, the world didn't just recognize a clutch player.
They recognized a duo that turned survival into art.
The 1 HP Legend…
Had finally learned the most important skill in PUBG.
Not shooting.
Not rotating.
But trusting.