The last survivor of the squad dropped his M416. His hands were shaking. In the world of Battle Royale, he had seen hackers, pros, and campers—but he had never seen a "Bot" that moved like a ghost and shot like a god.
Michael stopped a few feet away from him. He maintained that rhythmic, broken "bot walk," but his eyes were locked onto the player's soul.
"Wait! Please! Are you a developer testing a new AI?" the player stammered, his voice cracking over the world chat. "Just... let me go. I'll report the bug, I promise!"
Michael tilted his head. He tried to speak, but only a distorted, digital rasp came out. The system was still restricting his vocal cords. He didn't need words, though. He pulled the trigger one last time.
[Michael (BOT_ID_001) eliminated Player_04 with P92]
The field went silent. Four loot crates now smoked in the green grass of Erangel. Michael walked toward the driver's crate. As he reached out, he felt a strange electrical hum in his fingertips. The moment he touched the crate, the items didn't just appear in his hands—they "integrated" into his digital existence.
He pulled out a Level 3 Helmet and a pristine M416. The moment he strapped the helmet on, a new layer of data appeared on his HUD. His vision sharpened. The "Bot" tags on his interface started to flicker, as if the system was struggling to categorize him.
He then grabbed a black tactical vest and a backpack full of 5.56mm ammo. He looked down at his reflection in the shattered window of the UAZ. He still had the basic bot face, but he was now armed to the teeth.
Suddenly, a loud, booming sound echoed from the sky. A massive cargo plane was flying low, dropping a crimson-red Supply Drop nearby.
"The first Airdrop," Michael thought, his grip tightening on his new rifle. "That's where the real players will be. And that's where I'll find my answers."
He didn't run. He started his "bot walk" toward the smoke, a deadly wolf hiding in a puppet's skin.