Chapter 334: Players Who Waited Too Long (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

"No way... Captain Price can't be dead, right?"

Staring at the final scene where Soap stabs a knife into Makarov's photo,

and recalling the earlier moment when Captain Price was shot,

Zhang Yi was completely bewildered. To put it dramatically, it felt as if a sharp blade had plunged straight into his heart.

Up until now, there had only been one level where Zhang Yi actually controlled Captain Price—the sniper infiltration mission during the flashback chapter.

Yet throughout the entire game, Captain Price was undoubtedly the character who left the deepest impression on Zhang Yi.

Even more so than Soap, the protagonist.

After all, Soap barely showed his face in the game,

and was mostly experienced through a first-person perspective.

Captain Price, on the other hand, was entirely different.

During the cargo ship mission at the beginning, if not for Captain Price, Soap would’ve been dead long ago.

And in later missions, Captain Price consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership.

Especially on veteran difficulty, every time Captain Price led from the front, elevating Zhang Yi to heights he never imagined.

If the deaths of Gaz and Griggs made him feel sorrowful,

Captain Price's potential death was something Zhang Yi simply couldn’t accept.

Especially since, in the end, Captain Price stayed behind alone to cover the retreat of Soap and the others.

This lone hero-style narrative only deepened Zhang Yi’s anxiety.

Although Captain Price was only shown being shot and collapsing,

who could say for sure whether he survived?

In most other games, Zhang Yi wouldn’t be this worried.

Generally, main party members rarely die.

And Captain Price was clearly an important supporting character—any death should’ve happened much later in the story.

After all, this was only the first installment of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare!

So far, the game had only killed off one boss—Zakhaev,

who admittedly had little presence, appearing only twice:

once in Captain Price’s flashback, and the second time when he met his end.

Yet the destruction Zakhaev caused was immense.

Three thousand Marines turned to ash,

and SAS team members like Griggs and Gaz were nearly wiped out,

leaving only Soap and Captain Price.

Precisely because of this, Zhang Yi increasingly felt that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was unlike any other game.

Every teammate around you, including your own playable character like Paul Jackson, could die.

So why couldn’t Captain Price be in danger?

And the most critical point was this:

From the current storyline, it was obvious that the new main antagonist was this man named Makarov.

What would happen next?

Would Soap and the rest of Task Force 141 hunt down Makarov because of Captain Price’s death?

Zhang Yi speculated.

The length of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's first installment wasn’t extremely long, but wasn’t short either.

Since Zhang Yi had switched to normal difficulty, he hadn’t encountered any stuck-on-a-level situations.

Still, he had already played for nearly nine hours.

Yet his mind remained incredibly excited.

Although the gaming pod would automatically log him out in one more hour as a protective measure,

every extra minute counted.

At least let him know whether Captain Price was alive or dead.

But as the screen faded to black, Zhang Yi froze.

Because the game didn’t show an ending cutscene—

it jumped directly back to the main menu.

Aside from unlocking a new challenge mission,

was the main quest of Part One… already over?

Are you kidding me?! It couldn’t have ended earlier, nor later—

it had to end right when Captain Price’s fate was unknown!?

…………………

As time passed,

not only Zhang Yi, but every player who had experienced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, erupted in outrage.

It wasn’t just because the game ended on a cliffhanger,

but because of the emotional weight of the story itself.

Across forums, Tieba (Chinese online community platform), and gaming websites,

whether in domestic communities or overseas,

regardless of Nationality,

all players reached a unanimous consensus about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Terms like 'Chen Xu Cliffhanger-Dog', 'Chen Xu Warrior of Love', and 'Old Geezer Chen Xu' were immediately grinded into hot topics by players.

Domestic community forum:

"Damn it! I was just getting into it, and suddenly it’s gone! Just like that! What happened to Captain Price!? Is he alive or dead!?"

"Exactly! And this story is so damn heartbreaking!"

"Strongly condemn Chen Xu! The game is clearly complete—why make us wait ten more days!?"

"Damn it! I’ve been grinding all day, and now my liver hurts—not physically, but emotionally! Griggs, my bro, don’t die! I’ll buy you beer!"

"Ah! Don’t mention it! Just thinking about Gaz makes me burst into tears!"

"Damn it! The old Chen Xu used to attack with physical damage—Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, and that damn one with the big hammer. Now the Old Geezer Chen Xu attacks with Magic! Thinking about Gaz and the others, I’m devastated!"

"It’s not just the SAS—also that nuclear explosion scene."

"Yeah! That nuclear blast scene was absolutely shocking!"

"Damn it! I pre-ordered the entire trilogy—release the rest quickly!"

Domestic players were in a state of rage, and overseas players weren’t any calmer.

"Who told me this game developer’s designer was so considerate of players, pouring love into every game?"

"+1! I felt deep camaraderie throughout, the nuclear explosion stunned me, but the final battle against Zakhaev—why end it like that!?"

"Why did Gaz and Griggs have to die!? Why Captain Price too!? I can’t accept this!"

"Friends, latest update—I specifically asked my Chinese friend. The term 'Warrior of Love' is just the designer’s modest way of describing himself. In reality, it should be interpreted ironically. Plus, nearly all of this designer’s game storylines—except for a few—are tragedies. Think of Arthas, Kael'thas."

"Damn! Why did I only learn this crucial info after finishing the first installment!?"

"I don’t care about anything else—I just want to know: is Captain Price still alive at the end? I love him and Soap so much—I don’t want anything to happen to them."

Players, both domestic and overseas, were desperate—there was simply no way to endure this!

If they hadn’t played it, or didn’t know two more installments were coming, it might’ve been bearable.

But after experiencing it, every player was profoundly shocked by the content of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The incredibly detailed game graphics stunned them,

the deeply immersive Story-driven narrative,

and the smooth gameplay experience.

This was nothing short of divine!

All these elements made players feel as if they had become the protagonist of a movie.

And compared to watching a film, games were far more thrilling.

After all, movies were just for viewing—

games let you participate directly.

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