It is also viable to do what I call Fist Of The North Star and just sprint into sternum-breaker range before they can call contact.
So some more questions for people more familiar with the series. What's the point of the box? I mean I get that it's a meme at this point but what does running around in a cardboard box do that sneaking doesn't? The only time I've been in a position that my box might've deflected suspicion, they shot it anyway.
I don't think you quite understand. I am not exaggerating when I say that the success or failure of your mission may hinge on how you use that box. Imagine if the enemy is going to patrol through a brightly-lit room. It doesn't matter where you stand, crouch, or badly pretend to be a corpse, they'll spot you immediately. But if they spot a box instead, so long as there's nothing else wrong, they'll pay it no mind. It's just a box.
Further, even if they do investigate, the box provides a perfect ambush point. Not much chance of missing the shot taken at 2 meters. Beyond that, the box itself can function as a decoy, a weapon of psychological warfare. Imagine how you would feel if a cardboard box suddenly appeared in the middle of your patrol route, having not been there mere minutes ago. What could it mean? Is it a message from god? And why does it remind you of the tumultuous rumors surrounding the legendary solider known as Big Boss? I for one would be stopped in my tracks for long periods of time by such a conundrum.
Not to mention, boxes provide excellent transportation opportunities. The slick cardboard sheen easily functions in the same manner as a slip-n-slide, except without water or the part where you're maimed for life by all manner of small rocks and irregularities in the ground. For decades children have known of the simple fact that cardboard boxes are superior to slip-n-slides, so why should you spurn that knowledge?
In addition, mere mortals have the inexplicable tendency to move cardboard boxes around in large transportation vehicles to no discernible end. While clearly a sign of some obscure madness, one may take advantage of the psychosis and use the box to conceal one's self within. In this manner the mentally deadened fools will take you wherever you wish to go in record time, sealing their own fate as they literally deliver you into the objective.
You are also not bound to the tyranny of the beige. It's your box, and you should feel comfortable putting whatever you want on it. It is well known that armies are nearly universally composed of legally blind nymphomaniacs, and as such box graphics can allow one to pose as a boringly indistinct fellow solider or implausibly located sexy lady looking to get hot in your warzone tonight. Such deceptions disarm and disorientate the instinctual attack response, allowing you to respond to their frantic a/s/l requests with a sharp blow to the throat.
But, in the end, a cardboard box is only made of paper. If you misuse it, allow the enemy to attack it, or even just get it wet, it'll fall to pieces in your grasp and be useless. As one who lives on the battlefield, it is your destiny to be in the box, so don't disappoint. Take care of your box, and it'll take care of you.