First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Knife Skills
Meng Jiangwu and the others stood before her, looking down at their prey.
Lian Sheng introduced them to each other: "My comrades. My new friends."
Lu Mingyuan nodded: "Hello, I'm Lu Mingyuan."
The three of them respectfully called him "senior."
Zheng Lei came over to count: "Fourteen? Lian Sheng, how many did you get?"
Lu Mingyuan said: "Fourteen."
Zheng Lei: "What?"
Lu Mingyuan explained: "I gave her my bullets to shoot for me."
"Oh, I see," Zheng Lei said. "Twenty bullets, fourteen kills. That's amazing."
Lu Mingyuan earnestly corrected him: "No, fourteen bullets, fourteen kills. My gun was stolen earlier, leaving me with only four bullets."
Looking at Lian Sheng with admiration, Lu Mingyuan said: "She's truly incredible."
Shen Yu blurted out without thinking: "For real?"
Zheng Lei elbowed him, making him realize his rudeness, and he quickly amended: "I mean... that's amazing."
Lu Mingyuan chuckled lightly, then recounted his experience, deliberately exaggerating Lian Sheng's contributions.
The three of them didn't know whether to be more amazed by Lian Sheng's perfect fourteen shots or Lu Mingyuan's extraordinary tale.
"So people like that really exist," Meng Jiangwu frowned. "I heard about it last year too. What scum."
Since this activity used team scoring, losing one member's results would significantly lower the team's ranking. Some would target the weakest member of a team to sabotage them and improve their own standing—a despicable tactic.
Meng Jiangwu said: "You were pretty unlucky."
"No no no, I was actually lucky," Lu Mingyuan waved his hands. "Even with ten bullets, I probably wouldn't have gotten four kills myself."
He paused, then looked at Lian Sheng and asked: "Can I really take four?"
Lian Sheng: "Go ahead."
The other three naturally had no grounds to object.
Noticing their expressions, Lian Sheng pointed at Lu Mingyuan and asked: "You know him?"
"Of course, we've heard of him," Meng Jiangwu said. "During simulations, both command classes have to work together... though we've never actually had the chance."
Shen Yu, sensing this topic might be painful, quickly changed the subject: "So you really just waited by the tree? Where'd you find so many targets?"
Lu Mingyuan pointed in a direction.
Shen Yu exclaimed: "The grass is so tall over there, you can't see anything! How did you shoot them?"
Lian Sheng: "I knew where the rabbits were."
Meng Jiangwu: "How?"
Lian Sheng said flatly: "Experience."
The group pursed their lips.
They simply couldn't believe there was anywhere in the entire Alliance where one could gain hunting experience—and even if there was, who would actually do it?
They gave Lian Sheng a skeptical look but didn't press further, because Lian Sheng was just too unusual.
Zheng Lei waved his hand, signaling everyone to start moving. The five of them headed down the mountain together.
When they reached the base camp to register their scores, many students were milling about, waiting for their scattered teammates to regroup.
Lu Mingyuan looked around briefly before three people came running toward him.
His friends patted his shoulder, concerned: "Are you okay? Where did you go? We couldn't find you anywhere!"
They had returned early but empty-handed—a rather pitiful outcome.
"I'm fine," Lu Mingyuan said excitedly, holding up the rabbits. "Look! Thanks to them, I got four!"
The two teams went their separate ways to register.
Lian Sheng had taken down ten kills by herself, while the other three had only managed three between them—already an exceptional performance for them. The comparison was rather embarrassing. After counting and marking the rabbits and ducks, they were told to take them—this would be their dinner.
Teams that hadn't caught anything could exchange points with others or borrow points from the instructors for steamed buns. Lian Sheng's bountiful haul naturally drew a crowd.
For eating purposes, the four of them could consume at most three or four rabbits with rice per meal. By tradition, if a team had enough food, female members could exchange their extra kills for points. Meng Jiangwu suggested she do so—one kill for two points—instantly boosting her standing.
Lian Sheng examined the haul, kept three ducks, and took the rest to exchange. She told the others to trade theirs too, giving everyone a good start.
Zheng Lei was nearly moved to tears.
What a considerate girl! He was the first to agree.
Once one person agreed, the other two felt comfortable speaking up.
This was the first time in their lives they'd earned extra points in a hunting exercise. It was practically miraculous!
The hunting deadline was 8 PM. Most would use up their bullets before then, but some deliberately waited until nightfall when the woods were quiet to hunt with night vision goggles—an easier approach.
Dinner was to be eaten gathered around the camp.
They built a stone stove and prepared to clean the ducks when Lu Mingyuan arrived with a basket of vegetables.
Vegetables also required points, but Lu Mingyuan's team had four extra kills they couldn't possibly eat, so they exchanged some for points and brought the vegetables to Lian Sheng.
The basket contained several cucumbers, lettuce, various soup seasonings, and even wraps. Meng Jiangwu suggested: "Let's shred the cucumbers for wraps? Maybe roast a duck?"
Hearing "shred," Lian Sheng raised her hand: "I'll do it."
Meng Jiangwu eyed her dubiously. In the command department—all the female students (though before Lian Sheng there had only been four)—wielded knives like they were hacking at enemies and cooked like they were waging war.
Meng Jiangwu stepped back uneasily, warning again: "Don't push yourself."
Lian Sheng paid no heed.
She washed her hands, pulled out a kitchen knife, wiped it clean on a dishcloth, then slapped a cucumber onto the cutting board.
She took aim and began cutting.
The blade moved like lightning—each stroke precise and unwavering, producing a rapid, rhythmic chopping sound.
The group's eyes widened: "Whoa—!"
After slicing the cucumber diagonally, Lian Sheng smoothed the slices flat, adjusted the knife's angle, and began cutting them into fine shreds.
Nearby onlookers were drawn in by the rhythm, gasping: "Whoa—!"
Such showy knife skills!
Their military academy actually had a girl who could cook!!
Lian Sheng finished with a flourish, arranging the shreds into a neat arc.
The crowd clutched their chests and exclaimed in unison: "Wow—!"
Zheng Lei leaned in for a closer look, separating the shreds to find they were nearly uniform in thickness—nothing like hand-cut produce.
Shen Yu: "Mid... Mid-level Chinese cooking master?"
Meng Jiangwu pointed at her, trembling: "D-don't tell me this is also experience?!"
Lian Sheng raised an eyebrow: "Of course."
She added dismissively: "Just knife skills."
The group was dumbfounded.
This was far from "just" anything. They were starting to suspect this entire exercise had been tailor-made for Lian Sheng. Was there anything she couldn't do?! What kind of life had Lian Sheng been living?
While they were still reeling, Lian Sheng proceeded to prepare the ducks—two for soup, one for roasting.
Though she always seemed lethargic, her movements were crisp, efficient, and methodical. Simply watching her was a pleasure.
In less than an hour, everything was ready.
After finishing, she dried her hands, folded the towel neatly, and sat by the fire to rest.
Meng Jiangwu and the others cautiously huddled across from her, waiting for the water to boil.
The earlier display had been so impressive that passersby kept glancing their way.
By 8 PM, before the hunting activity ended, they had finished eating. Nearby platoons seized the opportunity to hold several point competitions, but these had nothing to do with Lian Sheng.
Because the entire command department was in low spirits, they only participated in one competition per day. And since each competition only required a quarter of the team, Lian Sheng wouldn't get another turn for four days.
At 8 PM, the lieutenant gathered all students for a debrief.
"During today's exercise, we identified two students who engaged in extremely misconduct. They stole guns from other teams and wasted bullets to boost their own rankings. Such disorderly, bullying behavior toward comrades will not be tolerated!" The lieutenant stood sternly, hands behind his back, and reprimanded: "We have forcibly removed them from the exercise and reported the details to the academy. They will receive disciplinary marks on their records. I hope all students will cherish their reputations and learn from this. Understood?"
The students straightened and responded: "Yes, sir!"
Lieutenant: "Next, we will commend several students who performed exceptionally in today's hunt. Those with ten perfect hits will receive bonus points!"
He read from his optical computer:
"Senior military command department, Ji Fangxiao."
"Junior individual combat department, Zhao Zhuoluo."
"Junior military command department, Lian Sheng."
"..."
Most names were from the individual combat department, so Lian Sheng's mention surprised everyone—she was, after all, a transfer student this year.
Instructor Fu stood nearby, swelling with pride. In all his years leading command students, this was the first time one had been publicly praised.
He looked at Lian Sheng encouragingly—only to see her yawn widely, mouth gaping.
Instructor Fu: "..."
Might as well feed his heart to the dogs.
Lian Sheng had assumed there wouldn't be many names, but the list went on. She poked the person in front of her and asked: "So many?"
"No, half are fake," Meng Jiangwu whispered. "Some are team efforts credited to one person to maximize bonus points. The real perfect scorers wouldn't fill both hands."
Lian Sheng nodded, understanding.
Meng Jiangwu felt it was a shame. Because of this unwritten rule, few would believe Lian Sheng's achievements were truly her own.
MC’s reaction is so real LOL😂
ReplyDelete