First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Reversal

Lian Sheng had them find their positions, reiterating the timing and mission arrangements for each team. After selecting a direction, they charged in together.

When the vanguard stepped into the attack range, a gunshot rang out, directly pulling open the curtain of war.

Instructor Fu raised his gun and said, "Let's conserve ammunition. I'm afraid we might run out."

The bullets Lian Sheng had first handed over were almost used up, and the second batch only amounted to fifty or sixty rounds. Divided among six people, it was still pitifully few.

"It's enough. There are only so many students anyway," another instructor said. "Not sure how many your students are carrying."

Since there were no effective obstacles for cover near the supply box, the group merely pretended to rush toward it. At the sound of gunfire, they quickly changed direction and ran toward the nearby large trees.

Taking cover at various spots, they prepared to counterattack.

"Hmm," an instructor frowned. "The spread is too wide. Did they come prepared?"

It felt intentional—luring them to fire while heading straight for the hidden spots. Otherwise, their reaction was too fast.

Another instructor said, "Let's observe further."

As the students quickly adjusted their positions, the instructors lost the advantage of picking them off in the chaos. After a rough count, they found only about seven or eight had entered—hardly a threat. Crouching in the grass some distance away, they began slowly moving to find better angles.

Lian Sheng waved her arm, pointing in several general directions, signaling Team Two to advance.

The group scattered, taking positions behind the designated points to locate the instructors and prepare to snipe them.

From the shadows, Lu Mingyuan—his back laden with thick grass—snapped his fingers: "Go!"

Five people, each taking a different direction, blended into the crowd and began ambushing.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—in the food chain, those at the top always find it easier to hunt their prey.

The instructors began free firing. The moment they moved into dangerous positions, bullets would land at their feet. They tilted their heads and shifted back.

Clearly, there were snipers covering them from behind, taking aim. The number of opponents likely had to be doubled, and their target probably wasn't just the supplies anymore.

Being restrained in their movements was frustrating.

This was a planned and premeditated challenge, contrary to what Lian Sheng had described.

"These people came prepared! Is this the same group you encountered last time?" an instructor asked. "Last time, you ambushed Ji Fangxiao's team, right? Not someone to mess with—could this be revenge?"

An instructor who had participated last time said, "Last time, we caught them off guard. They barely resisted, and with reinforcements at the back, we took out quite a few. They couldn't have bounced back this quickly, could they?"

An instructor clicked his tongue. "Old Fu, your student just handed us a hot potato."

Instructor Fu vaguely felt he had been tricked by Lian Sheng. But when he glanced outside, he noticed people in hidden spots helping them clear obstacles.

It didn't seem like a setup. Would a setup be this thorough?

Though the instructors voiced their complaints, they had their doubts but didn't retreat. Gripping their guns, their eyes scanned for possible movement points and the enemy's current hiding spots, preparing to break through one by one.

Truth was, these students were somewhat lacking in skill. Combined with the poor visibility at night, their accuracy was embarrassingly low.

The two sides exchanged fire, the battle heating up.

Lian Sheng didn't dare speak—her voice would be recognized by Instructor Fu. Field command was temporarily handed to Zhao Zhuoluo. In a hushed tone, he reported the instructors' positions, guiding the students to concentrate fire.

After a few minutes, the students began flagging.

The encirclement was too large, and with only about twenty people total—split into inner and outer teams, the outer team further divided with some preparing to retreat for an ambush—their positions were too scattered.

Aside from those visibly inside the encirclement, the rest were hidden in the dark. Unable to see each other and not daring to speak for fear of disrupting Zhao Zhuoluo's commands, they could only communicate through bullets.

This directly led to the outer team thinning out without them noticing immediately.

When the muffled gunfire nearby hadn't sounded for a while, they finally realized their comrades had fallen.

When did it happen? Where did the bullets come from? How? After some thought, they reached a conclusion.

"Holy shit!" a student yelled. "There are more than six people on their side!"

Their realization came far too quickly—they figured it out before being wiped out.

Zhao Zhuoluo shouted, "How many doesn't matter now! The arrow's already on the bowstring—charge, comrades! Stay safe!"

The group had no choice but to rally. Initially confident, they now wavered.

The enemy's numbers were unclear, their positions unknown—they might even be mixed among them. And they were just a hastily assembled ragtag team; some probably didn't even know who was lying next to them.

In such chaos, they doubted the instructors would retreat. Did they even need to? They could wipe them all out in one go!

This was a major misconception. The instructors had three chances to be hit, so their numbers seemed to barely decrease, while nearly half the students had already been eliminated. Add to that the unknown number of "instructors" lurking in the shadows, constantly shifting positions and blending in, and the situation grew even worse.

Zhao Zhuoluo deliberately guided the scattered forces to avoid Lu Mingyuan's group, but their presence only made them seem more mysterious and unpredictable.

Those bullet trajectories—so damn flashy!

Lian Sheng's task was to rack up points. She counted—she'd already scored several hits. These stragglers' accuracy was indeed tragic, but they had plenty of bullets and dense volleys. Under command, luck alone could net them a few points.

Only six instructors meant eighteen points max. Soon, it would be time to withdraw. The tide of battle was about to turn.

On the field, an instructor glanced at his signal light and slowed his assault.

"Not looking good," one instructor sighed. "I'm about to be sent back to see the statistician."

Another touched his signal light. "I don't feel great either. A few students on their side are clearly on another level. We underestimated them."

An instructor asked, "Old Fu, isn't your student supposed to be a great shot? Where is she now? Which side?"

Instructor Fu's face twisted—he didn't actually know—so he changed the subject: "Their numbers are thinning."

Indeed, only about a dozen remained inside and out. With six instructors left, they should be able to handle it without issue.

"Students these days are really improving, huh? Even in a fight like this, they stay composed. If they'd panicked, it'd be easier, but they're holding steady." An instructor shook his head. "Not sure if I should be proud or pissed."

Another commented, "It's a command issue. An organized, skilled team needs a commander to truly be a team. Too bad they only know how to cooperate, not obey. What kind of team is this? A joke. Think numbers alone make an army? Markets get crowded too."

Instructor Fu whipped his head around. "When supermarkets have half-off sales, the crowds—wow—!"

The other instructors recalled and chorused, "Wow—!"

The lethality surpassed even the military.

The instructors suddenly got chatty, guns in hand, clicking their tongues.

"These students are too young and impulsive. No one can rein them in. They all think they're the boss, refusing to follow orders."

"Well, when interests clash, everyone looks out for themselves. Cooperation's hard. Everyone's thinking about when it'll end—if you don't pull out in time, you lose. So shaky alliances only last until it's time to divvy the spoils. Who cares about commanders? The closer to the finish line, the likelier the implosion."

"Normal. Look at peasant uprisings in ancient times—most failed because of infighting."

An instructor raised his gun. "Enough talk! Let's finish them, then drill them properly later!"

Lian Sheng flexed her fingers—lying prone for so long was straining her back. The other side seemed to be adjusting tactics. She shifted slightly and fired a warning shot into the air.

Nearby, Zhao Zhuoluo understood and shouted, "Team Three, move!"

The students hesitated, not responding.

Leave now? If they left, only five or six would remain—about the same as the instructors. What was there to gain? Did they think they could take down instructors one-on-one and force a retreat? Ridiculous.

Splitting their forces now might lead to total annihilation. All for nothing.

These people refused to cooperate, so Zhao Zhuoluo didn't wait.

No time to convince others to trust him. He signaled Lian Sheng and led Meng Jiangwu away quietly.

Lian Sheng moved left, rifle ready, for one last feint.

Zhao Zhuoluo stepped out, paused midway, and pointed right before leaving.

Cheng Ze and the others saw the gesture and, after a moment's thought, grasped the situation. Their goal was to control numbers, and the instructors now had the upper hand. So their target should shift to the instructors.

Without hesitation, they adjusted positions, moving right.

Cheng Ze tapped someone. "Zheng Lei, go tell Lian Sheng we're ready."

"Huh?" Zheng Lei said. "Ready for what?"

Cheng Ze: "...Just go."

The remaining team members did some mental math.

If this failed, staying meant certain death. Leaving now at least offered escape.

If it succeeded, everything would go as Lian Sheng predicted. Following to ambush could net extra food and maybe precious points.

Either way, going was the better choice. So, a step behind, they followed.

The battle suddenly cooled. Instructor Fu heard movement to one side. Though not a dangerous angle, it was still sensitive. Pointing, he asked, "Anyone there?"

"Here!" Lian Sheng drawled. "Reloading!"

Instructor Fu snorted and decided to wait.

Lian Sheng steadied her rifle, biding her time. On the right, Cheng Ze's group prepared to counterattack.

In just minutes, their team lost two more. Morale wavered. Some itched to retreat.

The instructors sensed their hesitation.

Instructor Fu said, "Push harder! Almost done!"

Zheng Lei reached Lian Sheng and reported readiness.

Lian Sheng turned and fired immediately.

She'd long pinpointed the instructors' positions, while they remained lax.

The angle was awkward, making direct hits unlikely. But with precise timing, ricochets could work. Or forcing them out of cover counted as success.

The rapid, tricky shots whizzed past an instructor's ear.

Startled, he instinctively dodged left. The moment he emerged, Cheng Ze's bullets rained down.

The instructor's signal light, already red, flickered out.

Lian Sheng jogged to the next spot, targeting another instructor. This one fell to her directly.

The attacks suddenly turned sharp and coordinated, completely unlike before.

The instructors, caught off guard, lost two before reacting.

How many were left?

"Situation's bad! They flipped!" an instructor paled. "Retreat!"

The four survivors looked for an opening. One stayed behind to cover.

The surrounding students, though clueless about the details, saw the chaos and sensed opportunity.

Follow! Take a shot!

The covering instructor fired blindly. Both sides were in disarray, and Lian Sheng's team, excited, abandoned stealth. As the instructor fell, he took two down with him.

The other three seized the chance to flee.

Sprinting downhill, one instructor gasped, "We got played by your student!"

Connecting the dots, the truth dawned. Lian Sheng had deceived both sides, reaping the rewards.

"What cooperation? She planned to screw us from the start!" an instructor said. "We thought we'd trick her last, but she tricked us first! Damn it!"

Instructor Fu deeply regretted not sniping Lian Sheng earlier.

"She always meant to steal, didn't she? Let us thin each other out so fewer would split the supplies?" Another instructor clicked his tongue. "How is your student this ruthless?"

"So young yet so ruthless! No wonder she's in Command!" one added. "I thought I drew the short stick with Individual Combat—Command's worse!"

They took turns griping while Instructor Fu stayed silent.

After venting, they reflected on their mistakes.

"No wonder! They came so prepared, disciplined with cover, and didn't panic when ambushed. Scoring so many early points was suspicious. We wasted our time!"

"I knew they were ready, but I thought it wouldn't matter!"

Instructor Fu gritted his teeth. "Next time, we strike back. We underestimated them."

"Can you even pick her out?" After a thought, Lian Sheng was pretty distinctive, so he nodded. "Yeah, you can."

Their signal lights were red now—dangerous. They needed cover. Instructor Fu asked, "Where's Li Dayun? Know his location?"

Before he finished, a bullet struck his chest.

The sudden attack froze all three.

Instructor Fu, already eliminated, collapsed belatedly. The other two dove behind trees, scanning.

They hadn't expected an ambush here, too focused on fleeing to notice.

Then, multiple bullets came from the front. By the time they realized, it was too late to dodge. Eliminated.

They were... surrounded?!

Six students emerged from front and back, grinning as they approached.

They really had been surrounded. Damn the poor night vision.

The instructors sighed—they'd gotten too chatty and careless.

Instructor Fu couldn't wrap his head around it.

When had this ambush been set up? Weren't they in control earlier? How did they know they'd take this route? And where did Lian Sheng get so many people? Weren't most dead? Why would they follow her orders?

Damn it, he couldn't figure it out!

Meng Jiangwu identified Instructor Fu among the three and crouched before him.

"Uh, Lian Sheng asked me to pass on a message..." He trailed off, then turned to Zhao Zhuoluo. "He's not your instructor—you say it."

Zhao Zhuoluo obliged. "Lian Sheng says she regrets not taking your points personally. But rest assured, she didn't miss out."

Instructor Fu glared.

Bah!

"Not here, further ahead. You retreated too fast." Zhao Zhuoluo dutifully pointed forward. "On your way down, take a look. We wrote something for her."

Meng Jiangwu: "Instructor Fu was defeated under this tree!"

Instructor Fu: "..."

Did she think she was Sun Bin? What nonsense!

Meng Jiangwu asked, "The spot's a bit off. Should we move him?"

Zhao Zhuoluo wasn't interested—he found it childish. But others eagerly volunteered: "I'll do it! Can't leave anyone out!"

So they checked the instructors' tags, noted their names, and used rocks to carve them nearby.

At least they weren't dumb enough to sign their own names.

Zhao Zhuoluo signaled Meng Jiangwu, and the two left first.

The others finished and clapped. "Time to claim our bread."

The bread might already be gone.

With the instructors gone, the outcome was predictable.

How things had reached this point, how those two instructors died—they didn't know. But it didn't matter. They'd participated in this thrilling moment. Before they could celebrate, Lian Sheng stepped out, rifle in hand, heading straight for the supply box.

The group followed, gathering around.

A male student asked, "Aren't we waiting for the others? There are still a few, right?"

"How to split for the dead? Pass to teammates? Might not be enough."

Lian Sheng bent down and reached for the supplies under their watchful eyes.

The chatter paused briefly. Then a guy said, "Didn't you say vanguard and ambush teams get first pick? You were just outer sniping. Hey, weren't these your own rules?"

Ignoring him, Lian Sheng took eight bread rolls and two water bottles. Tucking the bread under her arms and holding the water, she prepared to leave.

"Hey!" The guy grew agitated, blocking her. "Three of you taking so much is too much!"

Another darkened. "Don't think we won't hit you just 'cause you're a girl."

Voices rose: "Put it back! Redistribute!"

Lian Sheng said calmly, "There are eight of us."

"Bullshit! Where'd eight come from? Invisible friends?"

Lian Sheng snapped her fingers. Lu Mingyuan, Cheng Ze, and others emerged from the shadows, guns trained on them.

The group fell silent. One hothead raised his rifle at Lian Sheng.

Tension spiked.

Unfazed, Lian Sheng said, "Want me to explain the split? Fine."

She shifted stance, standing casually as she enunciated: "Know who turned the tide just now? Without us, you'd be the ones lying dead. Some wouldn't even be pointing guns at me, demanding shares."

"Ask yourselves—who was field command? Who found this place? Who scored highest? How much cover did we provide? Confident in your own aim? Two of ours went to ambush instructors. For our contributions, one bread per person—too much?"

Her words doused the guy's fury like cold water.

Though her tone stayed flat, the sarcasm was palpable.

"Rewards match contributions. Dare to list yours?" Lian Sheng mocked. "Your crowning achievement tonight? Pointing a gun at your commander—the MVP—demanding she surrender her bread. Proud? Heroic?"

Oh, the sarcasm was unmistakable.

Zheng Lei yelled from afar, "No shame?"

The guy flushed.

He felt he should be right, yet somehow ended up cornered.

He'd followed Lian Sheng's logic in circles before snapping back. Chest out, he argued, "We agreed on distribution rules earlier! Regardless of merit, shouldn't we wait for everyone before dividing? You taking first leaves nothing for others! Where's the fairness?"

Their fairness was none of her concern.

"My rules served a purpose—supplies. Don't lecture me on fairness. Earlier, I could've had my team eliminate you all quietly and taken everything, sparing the hassle. That was my final act of fairness." Lian Sheng's voice turned sharp. "This was always a shaky, temporary alliance. How long did you expect it to last? Weren't you planning to bail earlier?"

The guy faltered again.

Lian Sheng: "Of course I'm taking my share and leaving. Why would I stick around? Problem?"

After a pause, the guy lowered his gun. The others, silent, counted the remaining supplies.

Lian Sheng turned to leave.

The guy glanced at Cheng Ze, suddenly realizing, and raised his rifle again. "Hold up! There were only six instructors. Who was sniping us from behind?"

Lian Sheng stopped, arched a brow, and looked back. "No idea who you mean. I just left teammates here to keep order—after all, I'm just a frail girl."

She stressed "frail," then added, "Besides, they weren't slacking. They were targeting instructors the whole time."

Cheng Ze fired at the guy's feet.

Startled, he jumped back, bumping into someone and nearly toppling.

Cheng Ze spat. "Looking for trouble? Don't mistake kindness for weakness. What's your deal? Trying to frame us Individual Combat guys?"

Lian Sheng strode off, passing the instructors. A "corpse" suddenly gave her a thumbs-up.

Lian Sheng bowed slightly in acknowledgment before briskly departing.

---

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