First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Gunshot

The slap came too fast, like a storm.

The boy's face turned as dark as pig liver, standing silently to the side. Then, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Lian Sheng's consecutive reversals were simply too spectacular!

The crowd couldn't help but laugh and exclaim in amazement. This move was truly outrageous. And her marksmanship was absolutely precise.

Instructor Fu directly grabbed a gun and fired a warning shot into the air.

After the gunshot, the noise immediately ceased. Seeing his expression, everyone lowered their heads obediently, trying to shrink into the background.

"What kind of joke is this? I said follow orders! No one is allowed to challenge the instructor's authority again, understood?" Instructor Fu barked sharply. "Do you not understand my words, or do none of you take me seriously? If this happens again, all points will be reset to zero!"

Instructor Fu pointed at several people: "Stop looking down on your comrades with your arrogant eyes! None of you have that right!"

Lian Sheng suddenly remembered something and asked, "What's my current score?"

Instructor Fu thought for a moment, then fell into silence.

Seeing his expression, Lian Sheng said solemnly, "I'm willing to accept my mistakes. Please reset our scores to zero."

Instructor Fu glared fiercely: "Don't play these little tricks in front of me! I said points reset to zero, deductions still stand!"

Lian Sheng looked up at the sky: "No fun."

Instructor Fu said coldly, "Don't test your comrades either. That's no fun."

Lian Sheng turned to him: "What do you mean?"

Instructor Fu asked, "Why did you say you've never used a gun before?"

"Oh." Lian Sheng lowered her head. "I was telling the truth."

Instructor Fu was extremely skeptical of her.

Lian Sheng said, "To be honest, I've never lied to you, but you've never trusted me either. Comrade."

Instructor Fu was taken aback.

It was true. This was already the third time he'd doubted Lian Sheng. The previous two times had proven him wrong. Each time he found it unbelievable, yet he was still wrong.

Ever since meeting Lian Sheng, it seemed he'd embarked on a path of no return. So he wavered.

Instructor Fu didn't dwell on this issue with Lian Sheng, stepping back as he said, "Continue. Next person, come up and choose a gun!"

Lian Sheng went to the nearby supply point on her own and collected ten bullets. She loaded six into the magazine and pocketed the other four.

She walked back with drooping eyelids and rejoined the formation. The person on her left couldn't help asking, "Lian Sheng, how did you shoot like that just now?"

Those nearby pricked up their ears to listen.

Lian Sheng: "Load, aim, shoot."

The person: "..."

Persistently, they asked, "Why were you so accurate? Any tips?"

"Oh." Lian Sheng said, "Study hard, practice diligently."

The crowd: "..."

She was the least qualified person to say that.

After everyone had collected their firearms and ammunition, Instructor Fu reiterated the activity rules, and the group went to gear up.

From head to toe, fully armed. Wearing such a heavy set of gear made most people uncomfortable, their movements stiff and awkward.

Lian Sheng didn't feel much, even finding it quite nice. The armor from before was like wearing piles of iron plates, ranging from several dozen pounds to over a hundred. Compared to that, these high-density material clothes were practically lightweight.

The four of them gathered together and introduced themselves.

The boy who'd raised his hand to object earlier was Meng Jiangwu. The other two were Zheng Lei, a bespectacled and more refined-looking one, and Shen Yu, a chubby boy.

Lian Sheng had no objections about teaming up with anyone. She'd just gone along with that boy's words earlier, casually making a remark.

Aside from purely physical challenges, she didn't think she'd be a burden.

They discussed their direction of movement, randomly picked one, and set off.

This mountain path had already been cleared by previous groups, with obvious signs of trampling. But the wild forest beside it was rugged and overgrown with weeds.

Following the mountain path upward, they finally reached a relatively flat area about halfway up the mountain. Lian Sheng could hear the babbling of a stream.

Lian Sheng stopped to look around. Sunny slope, lush vegetation, near water, few people. A perfect resting spot.

Most importantly, Lian Sheng couldn't walk anymore.

The aftereffects of her muscle strain hadn't faded yet and probably wouldn't for some time. But this was... truly unbearable.

So Lian Sheng found a rock and sat down.

Her teammates turned back, frowning as they stopped: "Let's go. What are you sitting here for?"

Lian Sheng rubbed her leg muscles: "Waiting for rabbits."

"Are you joking?" Zheng Lei exclaimed. "Do you know how the person who waited for rabbits ended up?"

Lian Sheng: "This environment is good. It'll attract more prey."

Shen Yu wiped his sweat: "The grass here is so tall you can't see anything. How are you supposed to hunt?"

Lian Sheng: "I have a way."

They naturally didn't believe her.

"Tch." Meng Jiangwu was extremely irritated, still hung up on the earlier incident, and snorted, "Women are so troublesome."

In the military, whether in the past or present, women faced harsh treatment. But Lian Sheng rarely argued with them because words couldn't change people's stereotypes. She always relied on fists.

There's nothing violence can't solve. If there is, then double it. —By Ms. Lin Lie.

Since this was a team activity with collective scoring, the three didn't want to abandon Lian Sheng—that would mean directly losing a quarter of their points. Moreover, Lian Sheng's marksmanship was good, so bringing her along might be useful. But they also couldn't just stay here wasting time with her.

Waiting for rabbits? This person must be joking, right? They completely failed to grasp Lian Sheng's thought process.

Just as they were about to continue persuading her, Lian Sheng's ears twitched. She stood up and raised her gun toward Meng Jiangwu.

The three of them paled. Meng Jiangwu took a step back, glancing at the marking flag to his left, and frowned, "What are you doing? Lian Sheng, I'm telling you, don't drag our team down. There are instructors nearby."

Then Lian Sheng turned the gun away from him, pivoted halfway, and aimed at the distant grass.

The wild grass there was over twenty centimeters tall. Only then did they notice the leaves shaking unnaturally. The tremors were spreading toward the edge.

Just as Zheng Lei was about to speak, Lian Sheng steadied her wrist and fired a clean shot.

The gunshot rang out right beside Meng Jiangwu's ear, and he instinctively covered it.

Everyone froze for a moment. Zheng Lei snapped out of it and angrily said, "What are you doing? Stop messing around, okay? You only have ten bullets total, don't you know that?"

Lian Sheng raised an eyebrow and silently walked toward the grass. Meng Jiangwu, still holding his ear, gritted his teeth: "Are you insane? Who hunts like this? You think your eyes are made of aluminum alloy with built-in infrared or something?"

Lian Sheng pushed aside the grass, picked up a rabbit, and turned around.

The remaining half of their complaints died in their throats.

Lian Sheng walked back and asked flatly, "What were you saying earlier?"

The three of them gaped, looking as if they'd seen a ghost. There was nothing left to say.

Not insane—divine! A god of marksmanship!

Hunting had once been the main duty of soldiers. Trapped in the mountains with no supplies, what else could they do? Of course, they hunted.

With many people and few animals, whoever caught something was skilled.

Lian Sheng could still remember waiting all night in ditches for prey back then. Once it appeared, there was no chance of escape.

Lian Sheng tapped the pistol against her shoulder and asked, "I can't walk anymore, so I'll wait here for rabbits. Ten bullets for nine rabbits—acceptable?"

The three nodded dumbly.

...More than acceptable.

Lian Sheng added, "No pressure. I'm not afraid of being dragged down."

The three: "..."

Lian Sheng's face was covered by the bulletproof mask, so her expression was invisible. Her tone didn't carry any scorn or anger either, but this very situation made them feel even more ashamed.

She simply didn't care about them at all, which was why she was so indifferent and unconcerned.

Lian Sheng sat back down to wait for the next passing rabbit. The three exchanged glances and decided to continue up the mountain.

This year's exercise had many participants, and since the students lacked experience, the military had generously released a large number of rabbits and wild ducks.

Though plentiful, they weren't easy to hunt. These animals weren't captive-raised—they moved quickly, adapted well, and were very cunning. The students only had ten bullets each, so running out was common, as was failing to land lethal shots. Location selection was crucial.

Lian Sheng rubbed her chin and patrolled the area repeatedly.

This place had few people but many animals. Within half an hour, she'd bagged four. The efficiency exceeded even her own expectations.

Tying the rabbits together with rope, she dragged them behind her, planning to make a few more rounds. Once the mission was complete, she'd return to camp and rest.

She made two more rounds but wasn't as lucky this time. Just as she was about to change locations, a sharp sound cut through the air behind her, followed by a sharp pain in her back.

Caught off guard, Lian Sheng stumbled forward before regaining her footing.

Though the bulletproof gear prevented injury, it didn't stop the pain.

Lian Sheng turned her head, only to be met with another shot that numbed her face.

Ahead stood two tall boys who, seeing her turn, showed no restraint and fired again.

Lian Sheng fell deliberately, dodging the shot. The boys looked delighted at her disheveled state.

Lian Sheng frowned. No one would waste bullets like this unless they were truly malicious.

Sure enough, soon after, a shorter boy clumsily chased after them, shouting desperately, "Give me back my gun! Give me back my bullets!"

The tall boy laughed and fired another shot at Lian Sheng. Then, shaking the weapon in his hand, he smirked, "Oops, missed. Didn't hurt you, did I?"

Lian Sheng sneered. Scum like this existed everywhere.

The shorter boy was frantic. He lunged forward, roaring, "Give it back! Give it back!" only to be punched to the ground by the tall boy's companion.

Gritting his teeth in anger, the boy shouted toward the distance, "Instructor! Instructor!"

The tall boy tossed the gun at his face and scoffed, "Boring. Let's go."

The boy scrambled up and clung to his leg, insisting, "No! You have to apologize! Apologize to both of us!"

Annoyed, the tall boy kicked him away: "Piss off!"

His companion stepped in: "Hey, you fired the shots yourself and fell on your own. Even if the instructor comes, it won't help. Trying to frame us?"

The three of them tangled fiercely. In the distance, the figures of instructors were already visible.

Lian Sheng stood up, dropped the rope, plucked a blade of grass, and lunged at the tall boy.

She moved swiftly, pinning him to the ground instantly. Her knee pressed down on his arms, immobilizing him. The other two froze, stunned.

Lian Sheng reached into the narrow gap at his neck.

The tall boy struggled futilely, shouting, "You dare remove my gear? The instructors are already here!"

Ignoring him, Lian Sheng slipped something inside.

The boy felt something itchy inside his clothes but couldn't tell what. Lian Sheng withdrew her hand and pressed down hard on his chest.

Disgusted, the boy yelled, "What did you put in there?"

Lian Sheng smirked meaningfully: "A caterpillar. Green, fat, and slimy. It's smeared all over your chest now."

As she spoke, she tugged at his collar, shaking it a bit before stepping back.

"Ah—!" The boy shuddered at the mental image, frantically trying to remove his gear.

Two patrolling instructors rushed over and grabbed his hands, sternly saying, "Do not remove your gear! What's going on here?"

Instructor Fu looked up and, seeing Lian Sheng's number on the uniform, felt a headache coming on. "What happened?"

The boy on the ground clutched his gun and accused, "They stole my gun and used it to shoot people!"

The tall boy's companion immediately retorted, "He fired the shots himself and missed every time. Now he's trying to blame us for taking his bullets!"

The accompanying instructor hauled the struggling tall boy toward the medical tent: "I'll take him to see Doctor Lin first. You check the surveillance."

The companion stiffened.

"Oh, didn't know?" Instructor Fu sneered at their expressions. "After similar incidents were reported last year, we installed surveillance cameras in the mountains."

The boy stood frozen, finally falling silent.

Instructor Fu barked, "If anyone wants to confess, come with me now. Everyone else, continue the exercise!"

Lian Sheng saluted him, turned to retrieve her prey, and prepared to leave.

Instructor Fu glared and coughed, repeating, "If anyone wants to confess, come with me now!"

Finally understanding, Lian Sheng turned back.

"I have nothing to confess." Lian Sheng said. "Unless putting a blade of grass in his clothes counts?"

Instructor Fu's mouth twitched.

Lian Sheng: "As a victim of gunfire, I await the instructor's resolution. Goodbye."

Explore Previous Contents Next

Support my work!