First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Luring the Enemy

The instructor beside them finally understood. He patted his ear in disbelief and said, "You want to... cooperate with us?!"

A student-instructor combat exercise where students seek to cooperate with instructors?

This must be the first time in history.

Lian Sheng nodded. "Obviously."

The instructor pointed at her and laughed. "Oh my, this team is really... something else."

Instructor Fu tilted his head and gave her a sidelong glance. "Where exactly did you bump your head just now?"

"Why do you say that? Facts prove my proposal is reasonable. You'll benefit, I'll benefit, and your benefits will outweigh ours. From your own standpoint, considering the long term, temporarily laying down arms to face a common enemy is the most correct decision." Lian Sheng spread her hands. "You find it strange only because it goes against convention. But there's no real 'should' or 'shouldn't'—those who understand the times are true heroes. Whoever most directly threatens survival is the real enemy."

The three instructors exchanged glances, seemingly unable to reach a decision.

Lian Sheng lowered her eyes. "We don't have time, instructors. Please put away your guns quickly."

The three hesitated briefly but remained silent.

Lian Sheng directly pulled out two handfuls of bullets and tossed them over, then emptied her pockets completely. "This is the deposit. I'll go lure them now. Please hurry and set up the ambush."

With that, she turned and left. In the distant grass and bushes, there was rustling as several figures departed together.

"Are you sure this will work? Will they really help us?" Lu Mingyuan said. "I feel like this is a bit... confusing."

The others nodded. Confusing? This was downright surreal.

Lian Sheng said, "Why wouldn't they help? Killing is killing. With bullets ready and someone to help them kill, what's not to like?"

That logic did make sense.

Lian Sheng stopped Lu Mingyuan and the others. "You all hide in the back first. If things go wrong, retreat immediately. We'll split up."

At this point, everyone could only follow her orders.

Lu Mingyuan led Meng Jiangwu and the others to set up an ambush nearby while Lian Sheng positioned herself as a sniper. Zhao Zhuoluo's team took the vanguard.

Ji Fangxiao's team had been scattered earlier. By the time they got the news and regrouped to chase after them, it would take some time. Moreover, they wouldn't charge recklessly—they'd advance cautiously in formation, giving Lian Sheng time to react.

Before long, as they finished preparations, Ji Fangxiao's team arrived.

Both sides were well hidden.

The enemy's movement made their approximate positions visible, but Lian Sheng's team remained still, making them hard to detect.

On the battlefield, whether pursuing or fleeing, both were exhausting. There were too many unpredictable variables, requiring constant vigilance. This tense state took a toll both mentally and physically—which was why Lian Sheng disliked it.

She preferred being the bait. As Sun Tzu said: "Appear near when you are far away; appear rested when you are tired; appear full when you are hungry—this is the way to manage strength."

The enemy advanced cautiously, firing test shots at suspicious spots.

Zhao Zhuoluo struck first, then repositioned. His figure flashed past, and someone confirmed, "It's a guy."

Soon after, Ye Buqing and Cheng Ze joined the attack, maintaining distance as they fired.

Ji Fangxiao's team didn't rush forward, staying back to suppress with gunfire.

Since they weren't advancing, Zhao Zhuoluo had to slow down to avoid suspicion. He found cover and began exchanging fire.

The constant gunfire filled the air.

Ji Fangxiao, hidden behind a tree, observed carefully. From those brief glimpses, he had identified their positions. His real target hadn't appeared yet.

Though he couldn't see their faces, Lian Sheng's figure stood out—their team had only one girl. And since Lian Sheng wasn't strong in direct combat, she wouldn't be in the vanguard. She was likely watching from the rear.

Lian Sheng lay prone, adjusting her angle but finding no good sniper targets, so she stayed still.

Both sides had chosen good positions, creating a stalemate. This pointless shooting was just wasting bullets.

Ji Fangxiao's team had the advantage, yet they chose to hold back—something was off.

Zhao Zhuoluo sensed the strangeness too and gradually slowed his attacks, only pretending to engage.

Seeing the enemy wasn't taking the bait, Ji Fangxiao signaled for someone to feign an advance.

A free target? Of course they'd take it.

Lian Sheng fired without hesitation, then rolled away immediately.

Ji Fangxiao's eyes lit up. "Focus fire! Left front, bushes slightly right!"

A barrage of gunfire followed, with nearly half the enemy team shooting at her previous position, then spreading out to prevent surprises. Ji Fangxiao's team finally advanced.

Lian Sheng understood now. So she was the target? No wonder they'd seemed distracted earlier.

But why? Kill the sniper to negotiate with Zhao Zhuoluo's team again? How persistent.

Still, it was smart.

Ji Fangxiao reached her former position and found no "corpse," realizing she'd escaped. He spotted her leaping away before disappearing from sight.

Another wave of gunfire chased her as they pursued.

As long as they moved, it was fine.

Lian Sheng, the ultimate decoy, led them straight toward the instructors' ambush.

Zhao Zhuoluo's team couldn't intervene much, firing sporadically while trying to keep up.

Ji Fangxiao warned, "Watch for ambushes. They should have four more people."

Despite his words, he didn't slow the chase.

Lian Sheng's team had been chased here in a hurry—no time to set traps. The missing four were just dead weight anyway, hardly a threat.

The vanguard entered the woods and finally spotted Lian Sheng, seemingly cornered—a perfect opportunity.

They raised their guns gleefully, but before they could aim, a bullet struck from the side.

The sudden attack made one loosen his grip on the rifle in shock. He turned blankly toward the source, unable to process it.

Then his comrade beside him was also "killed."

But his comrade was sharper, shouting a warning as he fell: "Ah—! There's an ambush!"

The others, experienced, instinctively retreated upon seeing the bullets, but two more shots came too fast. Before they could react, more teammates arrived, crowding together.

"Careful, fall back! Spread out!" someone yelled.

Ji Fangxiao, in the middle, stopped and ducked behind a tree. A bad feeling rose in him. "What happened?"

"Ambush!" someone answered. "Snipers, I think!"

Ji Fangxiao frowned.

Their team had other snipers?

Another voice shouted, "Damn, more than one! Not Lian Sheng—there's another on the other side!"

In moments, their team had lost several members.

Ji Fangxiao said, "Stay calm. Their team has no skilled snipers! Take cover, confirm positions, hold steady!"

Someone sharp-eyed spotted armor of a different color at the edge and yelled, "It's the instructors!"

Realizing their attackers were instructors, the team grew restless.

Ji Fangxiao pressed his lips together.

To run into instructors here—what terrible luck.

He glanced ahead. Though reluctant, he knew the situation was unfavorable. They couldn't afford more losses.

"Hold position, support each other, retreat for now!" he ordered.

But as they tried to fall back, more teammates were "killed" from behind. Zhao Zhuoluo's team, unnoticed, had circled around to cut off their retreat.

They were surrounded.

They hadn't been wary of Zhao Zhuoluo's team—this operation was meant to recruit them. Subconsciously, they'd seen them as allies.

Allies? These people were the most dangerous foes!

At this point, Ji Fangxiao understood.

This wasn't coincidence—running into ambushing instructors who only targeted his team.

This was a full-blown inside job, luring the enemy in!

Someone cried, "What? Instructors teaming up with students in an exercise? Is that even allowed?"

Another weakly said, "The rules don't say it's not."

Someone else pitched themselves: "Then cooperate with us, instructors! We have the advantage!"

"What good is advantage? Using it to beat us?" An instructor sighed. "We're here to beat advantaged teams like yours. Are you stupid?"

The team: "..."

They didn't understand this exercise anymore! What kind of game was this?!

Lian Sheng, safely hidden, announced, "Listen up, comrades. Nothing else matters—kill Fang Jianchen first."

In a sniper duel, it was uncertain who would outmaneuver whom.

She scanned the crowd. One had a sniper rifle—eliminated.

If Fang Jianchen was truly a skilled sniper, he wouldn't expose himself like other combatants. A sniper stayed hidden until the end.

So he was likely still in the rear or outside the encirclement.

A full-scale gunfight erupted.

Ji Fangxiao's team had no will to fight. Their tight formation made movement difficult, but without knowing enemy positions, they couldn't risk breaking out.

They had to identify a weak point before charging.

But compared to those trapped inside, a clear-headed rear support could open an escape route—namely, the sniper. And compared to instructors, Zhao Zhuoluo's team's line was weaker.

Thus, the sniper's target was obvious.

Amid the chaos, Lian Sheng moved toward her teammates.

Zhao Zhuoluo realized this too. He took cover, firing defensively. Then bullets flew from behind toward Ye Buqing's position.

He immediately adjusted his aim and fired rapidly into the wilderness.

"Damn it!" Fang Jianchen flattened himself, scrambling backward to avoid the shots. "No more brotherhood!"

Out of everyone, why target him? Friendship over! Couldn't they spare a thought for a lone brother? Didn't they have the decency to die properly?!

Exposed, Fang Jianchen grabbed his rifle and fled.

After a few steps, he ran straight into Lian Sheng, who had followed Zhao Zhuoluo's cue.

Their eyes met. The air froze for a second. Neither expected this encounter.

Both understood the other's intent. In that instant, they fired simultaneously.

Two gunshots rang out.

Zhao Zhuoluo tackled Lian Sheng from behind, saving her. But her shot went wide, hitting a rock in front of Fang Jianchen—then ricocheting into his chest.

His signal light went out.

"Ah—!" Fang Jianchen roared, unable to accept this. "I'll end you!"

Lian Sheng: "..."

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