Imposter System

Chapter 16: Battle Royale (1)

The stage covered the size of a football field. There were various crumbled buildings and metal debris. Matt wondered how they were able to set up something like this so quickly and wondered if there was a bit of projection technology in use here. Some spots were inaccessible and only needed to block line of sight. However, Matt wondered what would happen if he purposefully entered a spot that was projected. Would he be like those gamers that used wall hacks?

Matt checked his weapon and vest for tampering and didn't see anything obvious. If there was a complicated scheme to make him have a gun or vest failure then he could only consider his luck bad. He stood in front of the entrance to the array that he was assigned to. Normally, there would be a secondary objective in order to prevent all of the participants from hiding. However, the authorities knew about the tension and the agreement between the other nine so they left out a secondary objective. They probably felt that there was plenty of encouragement not to hide.

For Matt's strategy to work, he needed to be in complete control of his enemies. If he hid and waited, then they would have time to group up. The best choice was to strike quickly. However, this had its own risks too. His stamina wasn't unlimited, and he planned for first, not just top four. He had to secure the bet he made with the Commander. Therefore, the best method would be to become like a predator. Warily stalking his prey and utilizing his energy to the maximum efficiency.

This would normally be difficult for Matt O'Connely, but Matt was no longer a human. Although he had a human body, he was really an alien parasite. Although his human memories kept him from going berserk and killing everything on the ship, it did not mean he couldn't. Matt had felt this instinct whenever he utilizes the system. Perhaps the system was just his weak consciousness's attempt at making sense of the situation. He wouldn't think too much about that. He turned off perfect mimicry and let the predator's instinct kick in.

"And begin!" The Commander shouted with a loud horn.

Matt was naturally still in control of his body. The difference was he didn't ignore the instincts to do certain actions. For example, he was low to the ground when he moved. Also, every step he took was precise and didn't make too much noise. His eyes scanned through the debris and rubble looking for even the slightest anomaly. His weapon was held slightly pointed upward. It did not take long for him to discover the first person.

Matt was approaching a four-way intersection when he heard some gravel crumbling very faintly. He quickly put his back to a large broken piece of metal and pointed his gun at chest level. Soon, the candidate turned the corner, standing straight up, and looking down his sight while scanning around him. Matt scoffed internally and shot a burst of three bullets. The adjustable setting was nice, but the complete silence of the PL91 was the true advantage. Matt clearly understood the authority's intention for using this weapon instead of other stunning weapons.

Feeling the pain of three bullets hitting his vest, the man almost turned and started firing. However, at the last moment he seemed to remember the consequences and slowly made his way out of the array with his hands up. A loud horn blared and his name was crossed off the projected list outside. This was visible to everyone, so Matt's location was given away if the other candidates paid attention to where people entered from.

However, this was exactly what he was hoping for. The biggest threats would be the ones who could keep track of such details. He found a spot to conceal half his body and waited. It did not take long for him to notice a slight shifting in the rubble coming towards him. Apparently, this candidate was quite skilled. His stealth was phenomenal, but Matt's predatory instinct was inborn. As soon as the candidate revealed a slight section of his body between the rubble, Matt shot with amazing accuracy.

Similarly to before, this candidate stood up and raised his hands. The horn blew and he was also crossed out. Matt knew he could no longer stay in this spot now that he had sprung the trap. Therefore, he went straight toward the path the second candidate came from. He even used a similar method to conceal himself between the rubble. He eventually found a large concrete slab that was leaning at a slight angle. When he pushed one side, it came down and then seesawed back.

Matt carefully pushed down one side and placed a rock to keep it weighed down. Then, he backed up in between two walls and crouched down. This was a risk he took due to the potential gains. The path he was facing was rather wide so multiple people could approach. However, the path he just came from had one of the candidates be eliminated from. He gambled that, with two of their allies down, the others would be frightened and attempt to group together.

Unsurprisingly, his guess was correct. He could hear two people whispering to themselves from around the corner of the narrow alley he lodged himself in. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but Matt knew they shouldn't be underestimated. Just because he took two out easily doesn't mean the whole group of nine was useless. The first thing he saw was a pile of debris flying past his line of sight. His keen awareness locked onto the rock and almost caused him to shoot. This was a good strategy for someone like him, however, they weren't completely aware of his nature.

Although their decoy didn't reveal anything, they were still cautious. After a moment, someone turned the blind and aimed his sight into the narrow alley. Matt was prepared for this. He shot three bullets, and then quickly backed away onto the concrete slab. He leaned his backfoot on the far end and caused the slab to fall backward. The candidate cursed and raised his hands. Then told the other candidate something and left the arena. Matt stayed holding his stance on the cement slab.

He had to hold the rock he placed on the other side to prevent it from sliding so he was vulnerable to any attacks from the sides. However, he just silently stood there waiting patiently. His goal wasn't just one and run, he wanted both of them. After a while, the other candidate turned the corner and cautiously walked down the path. He was told that Matt ran, but to stay cautious. This person was quite good in this style of combat so he was able to time his movements perfectly. However, he underestimated Matt's intelligence.

As soon as the man reached the cement slab and looked around for the escape route that Matt took, Matt immediately pushed the rock and his body weight forward. The candidate jumped backward from the slab that came crashing down on him and lost his bearings for a second. However, that second was all Matt needed to place three shots onto his chest. These hurt especially since they were in near point-blank range. The man gave him an angry look and raised his hands, retreating to outside the stage.

At this point, four have already been eliminated and only six remained. One of the four Matt eliminated had a spot reserved in the final four, so there were mixed emotions among the group. Those three that remained had hope to take that spot, and the one that was eliminated was kicking himself for being foolish. At the end of the day, only results mattered. He had no one to blame but himself. However, the three that remained who were arranged to be in the top four felt extremely nervous. They did not expect to have a chance for elimination.

There was naturally a worry that they would be betrayed. When one of the predicted final four was taken out, they instantly assumed a betrayal. Because of this, they were wary of meeting up and grouping. Although Matt didn't expect their cooperation to be so weak, it would help him nonetheless. After the person he eliminated left the area, he went through the alley and searched for his next ambush location.

Matt was now in the central area of the array which had more complete buildings. It was possible to enter or climb one of the buildings and maintain a position on the second floor. He quickly scanned the destroyed walls of the buildings to check for any people hiding in wait. Something was telling him that walking down this wide path would be dangerous. However, he didn't have a choice. This was a chance to counter play the opponents.

Since Matt just eliminated someone from here, whoever is out there watching would have seen him exit from this spot. They would think that, after four eliminations, Matt would begin to be more careful. The last place they would routinely scan over would be this very alley. This time, he was gambling on his enemies overthinking. With that, he entered a sprinters stance and burst out the alley with his head low.

----------

(A/N: The race is tight for first place in the contest! I'm coocoo for power stones! The extra chapters offer still stands if we can get first place!)