In America, although there are no strict restrictions on firearms and many people grow up playing with guns, it is nothing compared to Mavi's unrestricted access to military-grade weapons. The difference is like night and day—they are simply not on the same level.
As the armored tank rumbled forward from a distance with an imposing presence, Mike, Allen, and the others couldn't help but swallow nervously. They watched as a T-90 tank steadily rolled to a stop in front of the trench. Then, the engine shut off, and a Russian instructor, dressed in camouflage, hurriedly climbed out of the tank.
The stark contrast between the instructor's panicked demeanor and the tank's imposing presence was almost comical.
At that moment, one of the bodyguards beside Mavi used a walkie-talkie to communicate with him from the distant trench. "Young Master, it's ready."
"Got it," Mavi replied, placing the walkie-talkie back in its holder. He then carefully prepared to have some fun—by blowing up the tank with grenades.
Throwing a grenade wasn't something to be taken lightly. If a rookie got too nervous, they could easily drop it at their own feet or fail to throw it far enough—leading to disastrous consequences.
Initially, Mavi had wanted to use an RPG-43 anti-tank grenade to blow up the tank. However, after testing it out, he found that the grenade was too heavy, and most people couldn't throw it more than 15 meters. It was too risky—there was a high chance of injuring himself instead.
So, he had his bodyguard leave the tank's hatch open. This way, his Fang-1 hand grenade had a chance of disorienting the tank from the inside.
For Mike, Allen, and the other Blizzard employees, witnessing this level of game development was beyond anything they had ever imagined. It was simply terrifying.
"A T-90 tank costs at least 500,000 dollars, right?! Is the chairman really going to blow it up just to collect data? That's insane!"
"Oh my God! Our new boss is way too intense! But the data collected this way will be much more accurate, and it'll enhance the player experience."
The Blizzard development team had never seen anything this outrageous before. While they were shocked, they also understood Mavi's reasoning—it was, in a way, very "professional."
Blizzard's president, Mike, and director, Allen, were completely speechless at what was about to unfold before them. As executives, they had a broader perspective than the average employee.
For instance, when Blizzard was developing a new game, the French headquarters had only allocated a budget of $300,000. But now, their new boss, Mavi, was willing to use a main battle tank just to collect explosion data! One tank alone cost at least $500,000—completely incomparable to their previous leadership.
As these thoughts raced through their minds, they suddenly saw Mavi pull the pin on a grenade. With a powerful flick of his right arm, he hurled it toward the T-90 tank.
The Fang-1 hand grenade traced a beautiful arc through the air before striking the tank's armor. However, due to the impact, it bounced off and landed on the ground.
A loud "BOOM!" erupted as the grenade exploded next to the tank.
A burst of fire and a powerful shockwave sent dirt flying in all directions! Thick smoke billowed into the air as metal fragments shattered and scattered. The impact forcefully spread across the surrounding area.
Hollywood movies always exaggerate grenade explosions—they're completely unrealistic. Not only are the visual effects inaccurate, but the way shrapnel spreads is also depicted incorrectly.
Take Mavi, for example—after throwing the grenade, he immediately covered his ears and ducked into the trench without even glancing at the explosion. That's because flying debris and shrapnel posed a real threat. Even if they didn't maim someone, they could at least cause deep cuts.
Once the smoke cleared, Mavi stood up from the trench and observed the aftermath. The explosion had left a shallow crater in the grassy field, but the T-90 tank was nearly unscathed—aside from some minor scratches on its armor.
Seeing this, Mavi turned to the explosion filming crew and asked, "Did you capture everything?"
One of the crew members gave an "OK" gesture. "Yes, Young Master, we got it all."
"Good. Now, call the explosives expert—it's his turn." Mavi patted some dust off his clothes as he spoke.
In Counter-Strike, terrorists are equipped with C4 explosives. To replicate that in the game, they needed a demolition expert to properly set up the charges on the T-90 tank.
This job required a professional. After all, C4 is a plastic explosive—also known as a polymer-bonded explosive. Different shapes of C4 result in different explosion directions and blast radii. A single mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Hearing that Mavi was bringing in a demolition expert, Mike, Allen, and the other Blizzard employees suddenly felt that things were getting out of hand…
"A demolition expert? Is the chairman really going to blow up the tank?" one of the employees asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Seems like it… I don't know. But I think we should step back a little more." One of his colleagues in the R&D department was already feeling overwhelmed. They had come to Russia thinking they were just meeting their new chairman.
But never in their wildest dreams did they expect the trip to be this nerve-wracking! This was something they would remember for the rest of their lives…
Five minutes later, a demolition expert arrived at the training ground, carrying a mysterious black briefcase. Mike, Allen, and the others kept their eyes locked on him.
The explosives expert had a thick beard and looked to be in his forties. He wasn't very tall, but he was well-built. As he stepped forward, he greeted Mavi respectfully. "Mr. Mavi, should I install the explosives underneath the T-90 tank?"
Having studied explosive mechanics for years, the expert was fully aware of the destructive power of the C4 in his possession. This explosive could bring down a two-story mud-brick house or easily flip over a bus carrying twenty people.
He had provided guidance to many clients before, but never had he met anyone as insane as Mavi—who was actually planning to blow up a T-90 tank with C4!
This was pure madness. These rich people were impossible to understand…
"It's best if you install the explosives inside the tank," Mavi said after a moment of thought.
Placing the C4 inside the tank would create a more spectacular explosion. The shells and missiles inside the tank had already been removed in advance to ensure an accurate estimation of the blast's power and range.