When the runner beats the rocket
The surprising part is that the explosive is not an instant hit. It travels through the game world as a moving projectile, while the marine can keep sprinting after firing. If he runs toward the target along the rocket’s path, he may arrive first—even though the rocket is still on its way.
That outcome depends on two separate speeds: how quickly the character moves and how quickly the projectile crosses the screen. It is a quirk of the game’s movement rules, not a claim about what a real person could do.
A tradeoff built into the action
A rocket that takes time to arrive gives the target a chance to move and gives the player’s shot a visible, dramatic trajectory. But that delay can also produce odd-looking results: the shooter can charge ahead of his own attack. The danger has not vanished; the explosive is still traveling, and getting too close to its blast can hurt the player.
So the scene turns a simple speed comparison into a practical choice. Fire from far enough away to give the rocket time to catch up, or rush forward and risk meeting the explosion yourself. The marine can outrun the shot—but he cannot make it stop being explosive.
