Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Report: Squad 09 eliminated!"

"Squad 06 eliminated!"

"Squad 13 eliminated..."

Ji Xinghan stood before the massive display screen at the training base, his posture unwavering since the exercise began.

His dazzling golden hair framed emerald eyes that resembled a calm, deep sea, utterly undisturbed even as a cascade of elimination reports poured in.

He glanced at the time: "Initiate the plan."

Upon receiving the command, the communications team transmitted signals to several squads as previously arranged.

Soon, the central holographic exercise map showed several squad markers rapidly converging.

They moved from all directions toward a single location: the enemy's Outpost 3, directly opposite Squad 20's position.

The cadet assistants were swamped with work but couldn't help voicing their doubts: "Is this really advisable? What if the enemy..."

"There are no 'what-ifs'," Ji Xinghan stated calmly, his gaze sweeping over the rapidly shifting scoreboard. "The arrogance of the Nawei Fortress will compel them to act."

Where Ji Xinghan's eyes fell, markers at multiple engagement points were rapidly diminishing—their faction's soldiers were being eliminated at an alarming rate.

From the outset of direct confrontations, the Nawei Fortress faction had displayed absolute arrogance, treating their opponents like a cat toying with a mouse—repeatedly teasing, provoking, and wearing down their morale without ever delivering a decisive blow. But now, this charade was finally over. The opposing forces had clearly received new orders, hence their urgency to eliminate immediate threats. As for their next destination, the answer was obvious.

Ji Xinghan's eyes held no anger at being toyed with, only a chilling resolve.

While the disparity in strength was undeniable, so was the truth that arrogance leads to defeat. On the battlefield, no one could predict the outcome until the very end.

This dismissive attitude toward the cadet faction was enough to reveal the inherent arrogance of the Nawei Fortress commander. It was precisely this arrogance that would compel their commander to act and salvage their reputation once they discovered the cadet faction had gained points.

As long as they diverted forces to pursue Squad 20, there would be an opportunity to exploit an advantage on the other half of the map.

Ji Xinghan's gaze swept over three names on the scoreboard.

Squad 20 was the bait he had set for the Nawei Fortress. Whether they could turn the tide from this point on depended, in part, on how much time this squad could buy for their forces.

After a moment of silence, Ji Xinghan opened the virtual panel before him and began entering the next operational commands.

The initial phase of probing each other's tactics was over. What followed was the true beginning of the exercise.

He had never liked putting all his eggs in one basket. Rather than pinning all his hopes on Squad 20, it was better to prepare two sets of battle plans simultaneously.

*

At the supply depot on the other side of the exercise field.

Behind crumbling walls of varying heights, a row of heads was neatly lined up, anxiously and despairingly monitoring their surroundings.

Zhang Gao's round face seemed to shrink with tension: "What does this mean? 'Ambush on site, delay as much as possible'? Ambush who? Who's ambushing? Us? How are we supposed to delay!?"

The others were equally bewildered, their faces etched with expressions of "Who am I, where am I, what's going to happen?"

Chu Xiao didn't fully grasp the order's meaning either, but in his mind, if the commander had arranged it this way, there had to be a sound reason.

He clapped his hands, attempting to rally the troops: "Don't be like this, everyone! Snap out of it! If they're giving us such an order, it means the commander believes in us! And if he believes in us, we definitely can do it!"

The others looked utterly defeated: "No—! We can't!"

Such low morale meant they were already half-defeated, a scene Chu Xiao certainly didn't want to witness.

He scratched his head in frustration, then heard Bai Luming speak up beside him: "Captain, while no one's here yet, should we formulate a strategy in advance?"

"Oh, right! Let's plan the tactic first!" Those words were a much-needed prompt. Chu Xiao waved the others over, and soon everyone gathered in a circle in the clearing behind the wall.

Chu Xiao picked up a branch and drew a simple diagram of the supply depot on the ground, pointing to a spot behind one of the buildings: "We're currently positioned here. Based on the layout of this combat zone, if anyone approaches later, they should come from this direction."

He gestured with an arrow, then frowned: "In that case, we should..."

Bai Luming nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Captain is right. We should prepare the ambush in advance."

Chu Xiao: "?"

Had he said that?

After a brief silence, Chu Xiao cleared his throat: "Right, we'll proceed as I said. Now, everyone split into groups and find positions to hide. When the enemy arrives, we'll take them by surprise!"

During the grouping, Bai Luming grabbed He Yilan and headed straight for the two-story building on the side.

Once inside, he tapped two spots with his rifle: "Here, or upstairs. Your choice?"

He Yilan glanced: "Upstairs."

Bai Luming: "Alright."

He walked to the window to check the sight lines from the edge, quickly choosing his ambush spot. When he turned back, he saw He Yilan still at the stairwell, not moving. "What are you doing standing there?"

He Yilan: "Watching you."

Bai Luming: "?"

Under such a gaze, He Yilan absently stroked his rifle and met Bai Luming's eyes: "Sometimes I feel like you know me far better than I realize. Lu Ming, have we... met somewhere before?"

As he spoke, a breeze swept through, and bright light spilled through the window, dappling He Yilan's black hair.

The military uniform perfectly suited his demeanor, making his casually spoken words carry an unspoken authority, sounding more like an interrogation in a detention room.

Bai Luming hadn't expected He Yilan to raise this topic at such a critical juncture, but he didn't panic. Leaning against the wall with his rifle in his arms, he thought for a moment before replying: "Perhaps we have."

He watched as He Yilan slowly lifted his chin: "Aren't you from the lower city too? I've lived here for three years. It's possible we might have crossed paths before without noticing."

Their eyes met.

After a moment, He Yilan slowly nodded at Bai Luming's calm response: "True."

He slung his weapon: "I'll head up first."

Bai Luming watched him leave with a smile, but the moment He Yilan disappeared around the corner, his grin vanished completely, and he muttered quietly: "Old fox."

He returned to the window, tuned his communicator's frequency: "Hey hey hey, hey hey, hey hey hey hey hey, Captain, can you hear me?"

"Hear you, hear you, stop with the 'heys'." Soon, Chu Xiao's voice came through the communicator, crackling with static. "I'm in position already. The task of disrupting the opponents will be up to you guys! Fight aggressively, don't overthink it—whether we take them out or not doesn't matter, just make an impact! Leave the rest to me!"

This was exactly what Bai Luming wanted to hear: "Then I'll cling to your coattails, Captain! Thanks for covering me, Captain, you're awesome, Captain, carry me to victory!"

Chu Xiao was a bit embarrassed by the flattery: "Hehehe, no need for that. I'll just do my best."

Bai Luming was about to continue flattering Chu Xiao, the word "Captain" already on his lips, when someone coughed lightly over the communicator, followed by a voice: "Public channel."

Bai Luming knew it was a public channel, but upon hearing that deep male voice, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

Normally, he found He Yilan's voice quite pleasant, but he hadn't expected that deep voice to sound even more magnetic through the communicator.

When He Yilan's voice sounded again, it was a warning: "They're here."

Bai Luming was positioned on the ground floor, with a dense patch of trees in front of him. While it provided excellent cover, it also greatly limited his view. However, the faint water sounds reaching his ears were enough for him to make a judgment.

The arriving team was another 10-man squad.

A shallow river wound around the northwest side of the supply point, forcing the Nawei soldiers to cross it to approach. After coming ashore, the only nearby entrance to this group of buildings was through a single opening.

It served as a natural barrier.

Looking through the gaps in the leaves, Bai Luming checked Chu Xiao's position, his finger on the trigger tensing slightly.

Closer, even closer—gradually, the enemy figures became visible. Just a little nearer...

"Bang, bang bang bang—!"

Before they entered the ideal firing range, several gunshots rang out, followed by a teammate's frantic apology over the communicator: "Ahhhh! I'm dead! Sorry, I was too nervous—I accidentally fired! Ahhhh, I'm really dead!"

As soon as these words fell, the squad channel erupted into chaos.

Someone else shouted shortly after: "Forget it, let's get them!"

The words were bold, but reality was harsh. After one person's mistake, it triggered a chain reaction of errors from others.

A barrage of bullets fell onto the river surface, not only failing to inflict any damage on the opponents but also revealing the ambush position.

Unsurprisingly, the Nawei squad immediately launched a counterattack.

The firefight broke out unexpectedly.

Bai Luming scratched his head in frustration: "..."

He sighed inwardly. Noticing that the person upstairs hadn't moved and confirming that Chu Xiao's hidden position remained undiscovered, he slowly stretched his muscles and calmly raised his gun.

Finally, the timing was right.

The moment a figure appeared at the edge of his vision, he squeezed the trigger.

"Bang—!"

The shot was lost in the dense barrage of gunfire.

The Nawei soldier at the front was hit in the leg and almost fell. Staggering, he was about to call for help when a swift figure emerged from the bushes. Before he could make a sound, his mouth was tightly covered, and he was quickly taken out with a clean shot.

A soft chuckle sounded near the soldier's ear: "Shh, you're a corpse now. No more talking."

The instantly eliminated Nawei soldier: "..."

He instinctively tried to see the person who had taken him out, but by the time he turned his head, Chu Xiao had already vanished into the swaying bushes like a flash of lightning, melting into the shadows of the night without a trace.

Bai Luming glanced in the direction of the swaying bushes and smiled with satisfaction, his normally relaxed gaze turning sharp.

Bai Luming's rate of fire wasn't particularly fast, but amid the chaos, those soldiers couldn't even determine the direction of the bullets. Each time he pulled the trigger, a scream of pain would follow.

Soon, even those cries fell completely silent.

A gust of wind messed up Bai Luming's silver-white hair. He casually smoothed it down and happened to spot an enemy soldier trying to sneak around from the side. Raising an eyebrow, he didn't panic—the next moment, the soldier was hit by a bullet, staggering back.

Amid the chaos, stray bullets were everywhere. As for where that particular stray bullet had come from—

Bai Luming silently looked up, casting a satisfied glance toward the ceiling.

The best way to avoid pain is to make the enemy suffer—an age-old truth.

After losing several soldiers in succession, the Nawei squad troops clearly realized something was wrong. But by then, retreat was no longer an option.

Chu Xiao had gone wild with killing.

Before this, he hadn't expected the ambush to go so smoothly.

Although their teammates tended to "miss every shot" once actual combat began, today it felt like heaven itself was helping them. The enemy soldiers kept stumbling into his optimal hunting range, almost as if they were being "delivered" right into his hands.

In fact, with so many targets coming at him one after another, Chu Xiao was almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of targets.

Now, with only three soldiers left out of the original ten, Chu Xiao—relying on his agility in the river—didn't hesitate for a second. In just a few moves, he took out the last enemies.

From the start of the confrontation at the supply point, the point totals for both bases and the observation zone had been updating continuously.

Everyone watched in astonishment as the points next to Chu Xiao's name on the trainees' side soared from 4, eventually settling at 14.

Even the instructors in the observation room rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.

What just happened? How many points did their trainee get? 14!?

The riverbank fell silent again. Squad 20 had also suffered losses during the fight, leaving only five members.

Bai Luming's admiring praise filled the entire channel: "Captain, you actually scored 14 points? That's incredible! Come on, let's keep going—just like before, wipe them all out! Today, we're counting on you to carry us, Captain!"

The river was littered with dead-eyed Nawei soldiers, who were still struggling to process their defeat. They stared at Chu Xiao as if he were a monster.

Chu Xiao's uniform was completely soaked, and the intense physical exertion had him sitting on a riverside rock, gasping for breath. In response to Bai Luming's praise, his expression was radiant: "No, no, don't exaggerate—it was luck... really, just luck."

His words made the nearby "corpses" widen their eyes even further.

Chu Xiao paid no attention to the stares fixed on him, still basking in his satisfaction.

He slowly raised his head, a genuine smile spreading across his face under the bright sunlight.

He hadn't believed the two others' theory about luck before, but now he had no choice.

So this was what it felt like to be handed victory by heaven? It was—unbelievably satisfying!

The more Chu Xiao relived the battle, the happier he felt. Just as he was silently praying for more divine favor, a burst of static came through the communicator, followed by a channel switch.

Every member of Squad 20 heard a voice say: "Can you hear me? This is Ji Xinghan."