First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Challenge

In the distance, the sound of gunfire roared, mixed with indistinct shouts, indicating intense combat. Even separated by a stretch of forest, the sheer scale of the commotion was palpable.

Zhao Zhuoluo gripped his gun and asked, "What are they shouting?"

A comrade beside him replied, "'Kill'?"

Just single words like that.

Lian Sheng had been inactive for three or four hours—either eliminated or plotting something. Zhao Zhuoluo's guerrilla squad had nearly doubled in size, almost forgetting about her. Only now did they recall Lian Sheng had promised to find people for them.

Zhao Zhuoluo jerked his chin forward. "Let's check it out."

The group half-crouched, concealing themselves as they quickly advanced toward the noise.

The sounds grew clearer until they reached the edge of the fierce combat zone. Hiding behind trees, they could feel stray bullets whizzing past.

The scene was pure chaos—impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Both sides had completely lost formation, shouting their comrades' names while firing indiscriminately.

The crowd's mentality had reached unprecedented unity: This opportunity is rare—kill first, talk later. What's the point of chatter?

The onlookers were stunned. How had it come to this?

Comrade A exclaimed, "How are we supposed to play this? Who's even on our side?"

Zhao Zhuoluo loaded his weapon and reminded them, "This is actually an individual elimination match. There's no such thing as teammates."

This was an individual competition. Who cared who was who? Anyone still standing should be an enemy.

The group suddenly understood, then laughed and raised their weapons to join the fray.

Not daring to cluster too closely and become easy targets, the dozen or so fighters spread out, maintaining distance as they fanned across the area.

This type of exercise, with its varying participants and student order each year, plus the wide range of specialties, was difficult to organize. Ji Fangxiao had his senior circle, Zhao Zhuoluo had his junior circle—neither willing to take in too many who'd drag them down. With no one able to rally these "stragglers" against the two powerhouses, the event had naturally evolved into its current "big fish eat small fish" format.

This time, with rare clashes and resistance, the exercise had finally become truly exciting.

Lian Sheng fired shot after shot. Judging by her firing rate alone, one might think she was being reckless. Yet they watched as her targets fell one after another.

Was this the standard for Command Department students? Had sniper rifles gained auto-focus? What could they do but kneel in admiration?

So Lu Mingyuan and the others scavenged bullets even more enthusiastically.

Finally, movement began on the mountain.

For Lian Sheng's group, these were just randomly assembled stragglers—their task was to improvise, free to come and go. But for Ji Fangxiao, no matter how many kills they racked up, their team numbers kept dwindling.

After fighting for a while, he realized something was wrong. If this continued, their assembled team's advantage would vanish entirely—some were even killing each other.

Ji Fangxiao holstered his gun and shouted, "Regroup! Don't fall into the enemy's trap! Regroup and take a headcount!"

His voice barely carried over the surrounding din, nearly drowned out immediately. But it was enough—those nearby heard and began relaying the order louder.

Lu Mingyuan swung his arm and roared, pointing ahead: "Snipe that commander! The one who just spoke in the middle! Focus fire on the perimeter—no one leaves today!"

Wouldn't it be better to obediently fight to the death inside? Why insist on leaving? Another protracted battle would just drag on.

Lian Sheng adjusted her aim toward anyone trying to retreat. She'd already warned Lu Mingyuan—this disorganized, undisciplined situation favored them most. If they didn't cripple the enemy team now, they'd never get another chance.

It was a shame the figures kept moving—Lian Sheng couldn't identify Ji Fangxiao. Taking him out first would've simplified things.

Under Lu Mingyuan's rallying, the perimeter's fire grew concentrated. Whether friend or foe, anyone trying to retreat was cut down.

With the fierce combat, "corpses" littered the forest. The monitoring room's instructors were severely shorthanded, and order had collapsed. The instructors stationed below, not wanting to disrupt the battle, couldn't forcibly enter to retrieve the "dead," so they had the "corpses" crawl out via side paths while urgently calling up replacements.

The exercise's progress accelerated dramatically. Initially, three hours had seen only thirty-some eliminations. Now, in under thirty minutes, fifty or sixty had already fallen.

The reserve pool expanded from the last thirty numbers to the last hundred, rousing even the resting students.

Those who'd just descended, though they'd only participated briefly, were deeply shaken by the atmosphere. Even after "dying," they remained exhilarated, gesturing animatedly to describe the mountain's battle conditions to those below, stirring their excitement.

Fierce combat! The fierce combat of their dreams! What guy wouldn't be pumped?

Fang Jianchen sat on the ground, howling toward the mountain: "Send me up! I'll go barehanded! Send me up—! Why did I miss the good part? Why—!"

An instructor scoffed, "Move aside."

Fang Jianchen hugged his leg, sniffling. "I hate this!"

As the frontal chaos continued, they hit a snag—they were running out of ammo.

Looking down at the slowly writhing "corpses," they had a wicked idea: "Hold them back! Take their bullets!"

The "corpses": "..."

Then came pained cries across the mountains.

"I report them! They're abusing corpses!"

"Instructor! Instructor, save us!"

"They're pinning me down!"

The "corpses" couldn't exit, while more kept arriving. In the dark, many were stepped on.

The instructors sighed. "Can't you pick a different spot?"

They were trying.

Though Lian Sheng's group tried to block Ji Fangxiao's team from retreating, prospects weren't great. They'd relied on terrain to storm the summit—the enemy could use the same to withdraw.

The battlefield gradually expanded, shifted downward, then split into two.

Their own side was too scattered, most ignoring orders. After Ji Fangxiao's group left, many remained obsessed with killing each other. After all, compared to the elite combat specialists, their fellow cannon fodder made easier targets.

In the end, they'd only created chaos for themselves.

Zhao Zhuoluo's group had likely given chase. Lian Sheng pursued briefly before giving up—she wasn't suited for chases.

Lu Mingyuan still followed her closely. Lian Sheng turned, raising her gun to point ahead.

Once they dealt with this mess, they could head down and sleep.

Lian Sheng's kill count this round had been absurdly smooth. With Lu Mingyuan's support, she'd had ample ammo. Precise angles and dense crowds ensured every shot counted. Though much ammo was wasted on cover fire and blocking retreats, it didn't diminish her stellar performance.

As the mountain's crowds thinned and dispersed again, Lian Sheng finally holstered her gun.

It was pointless now—she didn't need a few extra kills.

She'd considered ending it there, maybe giving Lu Mingyuan his first kill, but he seemed eager to continue.

Lu Mingyuan said excitedly, "We want to keep going, see if we can get more kills. No one knows this mountain better than us—it'd be a waste not to."

Only two or three from their Command Department group remained.

Lian Sheng asked, "Want me to guide you?"

Lu Mingyuan brightened. "Really?"

Lian Sheng nodded. "Let's go."

Their ambush theory was sound—just lacking accuracy and stamina. Gathering together, they used the simplest method: pick a spot and wait.

Choosing locations wasn't an issue. The four could form a square ambush—when a target entered the center, they'd all fire. If all missed, Lian Sheng would clean up.

Passing students were baffled, suddenly surrounded by gunfire. Amid the "rat-tat-tat," they instinctively covered their heads, unsure if they were even dead.

This was no way to waste ammo!

But Lu Mingyuan's group was having a blast.

Eventually, they ran out of bullets and headed down.

The event was winding down but not yet over. After the chaos subsided, the exercise returned to its usual drawn-out pace. It dragged on until nearly noon before the final fifty students were decided. Lian Sheng found it tedious, but compared to past years, this was already impressive.

The awards ceremony would be after lunch.

After returning, Lian Sheng showered, napped briefly, then ate before attending the assembly.

She'd barely slept all night but remained energized. In contrast, Meng Jiangwu, freshly showered, looked exhausted.

Lian Sheng queued behind him. "How was it?"

Meng Jiangwu shook his head. "Not great."

His number was too far back—he'd missed the prime time. Wandering aimlessly, he'd stumbled into Ji Fangxiao's mobile battalion and been eliminated.

Lian Sheng felt for him.

Around them, chatter filled the air as students discussed the exercise. On reflection, there were always regrets, so most lamented.

Soon, a lieutenant arrived. The students formed ranks, awaiting the results.

After the usual pep talk, he raised his optical computer and announced the highlights.

"First place in this individual exercise: Senior Command Department, Ji Fangxiao."

Lian Sheng finally saw the legendary figure.

When called, he stepped forward—tall, over 190 cm, with a gentle, harmless demeanor. Smiling politely, he bowed to the crowd.

The students applauded, unsurprised.

"Second place: Junior Command Department, Lian Sheng."

The announcement caused an uproar.

Lian Sheng? Who was that? No one had seen her during the exercise!

Instructors moved through the ranks, quietly urging discipline.

The applause was scattered as students turned to look at Lian Sheng, wondering who this dark horse was.

Seeing her stature... This had to be a system error!

Though Lian Sheng had opened with a flashy quadruple kill, she'd spent much time hiding without allies. The latter half might as well not have happened.

She'd scored some kills with Zhao Zhuoluo, but most came from the chaotic battle.

In that melee, Ji Fangxiao had focused on retreating, Zhao Zhuoluo on pursuing—only Lian Sheng had single-mindedly racked up kills. At least a third of the fallen had died by her hand.

Ji Fangxiao, participating throughout with team support and pooled resources, had a somewhat hollow victory by comparison.

Lian Sheng strolled forward as required, saluted, then turned to leave.

The crowd: "..."

The lieutenant stopped her. "Any thoughts to share?"

Lian Sheng pondered, then said, "I'm deeply honored and overjoyed by this distinction."

The crowd: "..."

The lieutenant decided to spare them all and waved her off, continuing: "Third place: Junior Individual Combat Department, Zhao Zhuoluo."

Zhao Zhuoluo wasn't thrilled—third place wasn't worth celebrating. But he maintained proper form, stepping briskly forward to deliver a crisp salute.

Then, with full vigor, he declared: "I'm deeply honored and overjoyed by this distinction!"

The crowd: "..."

Lian Sheng looked up.

He'd plagiarized her speech!

The lieutenant was dismayed. What was wrong with this generation? He was on the verge of tearing his hair out.

After a few more encouraging words, he hastily departed.

Once he left, the students openly gossiped, heedless of Lian Sheng's presence.

"What's up with the Command Department this year?"

"Insane!"

"Who's Lian Sheng? Did anyone see her on the mountain? Who did she kill?"

"No one? Then where'd her kills come from?"

"Was she with Senior Ji? Why haven't we heard of her?"

"No, she's a junior transfer—no way she was in Ji Fangxiao's team."

The afternoon was free time, allowing the all-night fighters to rest.

Lian Sheng gazed skyward, listening briefly before finding it dull and heading to her tent. After a few steps, rhythmic exclamations caught her attention.

"Zhao Zhuoluo."

Ji Fangxiao extended an invitation: "I've long heard of your exploits. Care for a points exchange match?"

Lian Sheng paused, then followed the crowd.

A Command student challenging an Individual Combat student? That was a first.

The two lead instructors approached, intrigued. "Individual or team?"

Ji Fangxiao smiled. "Individual, of course."

Zhao Zhuoluo raised a brow, surprised. Ji Fangxiao's team had faced theirs before, but he'd always avoided direct confrontation. Now he was initiating? He nodded. "Sure."

The crowd cheered.

The instructors happily mediated. "Clear a space, everyone."

The spectators quickly backed up, forming a seven-meter-wide circle.

The instructors finalized the setup, seating the front rows. After confirming both were ready, they blew the whistle.

Both favored boxing. Ji Fangxiao attacked first, Zhao Zhuoluo defended. They met at the center, then Zhao Zhuoluo gradually adjusted and retreated, probing his opponent's style.

After several exchanges, Zhao Zhuoluo began counterattacking.

To Lian Sheng, though it seemed even, Zhao Zhuoluo was more dominant—in both talent and technique.

His punches were faster, stronger, and more precise. Ji Fangxiao's moves were flashier—hooks, jabs, kicks, feints—but his defense suffered for it. Zhao Zhuoluo kept it simple: attack, defend.

He was steady. He was accurate.

After a few rounds, the gap became clear. The outcome was soon decided.

Zhao Zhuoluo blocked Ji Fangxiao's arm, then aimed a punch at his temple. Following the "touch and stop" rule, he began pulling back. Lian Sheng could see his muscles relaxing—the match was over.

But Ji Fangxiao didn't concede. Seizing the moment, he grabbed Zhao Zhuoluo's arm, spun forcefully, and pinned him to the ground.

The crowd's eyes lit up as they applauded. "Wow—!"

Lian Sheng's eyelid twitched.

What they saw as a dramatic reversal, she saw as... shameless.

Zhao Zhuoluo looked equally stunned, slow to react.

This honest kid.

Ji Fangxiao stepped back, offering a hand to help him up. "Good match."

Zhao Zhuoluo's mouth tightened, displeased. Still, he grunted and stood.

Lian Sheng rubbed her chin, remarking pointedly, "Impressive."

Meng Jiangwu clapped excitedly. "Senior Ji is amazing."

Lian Sheng side-eyed him. "You're all amazing."

Meng Jiangwu: "Huh?"

Lian Sheng: "Never mind."

Zhao Zhuoluo massaged his wrist, stepping out of the circle. Lian Sheng stood, raising her hand. "I want to play too."

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