chapter 11
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"Unload the bomb!"
As all the recruits finished shooting, the veterans shouted the order.
"Whoa!"
The recruits methodically pointed the muzzles of their guns in a safe direction, as practiced in daily training. They removed the magazines, aimed the barrels downward, pulled the bolts to eject the bullet casings, and then pushed the bolts back to their original positions, successfully completing the unloading procedure.
"Stand up!"
The veterans gave another order.
Whew! Swish! Swish!
The recruits, who had been lying on the ground, quickly got up and moved to the side.
"Target!"
Zheng Sanpao announced calmly.
"Target No. 1: seventy-eight rings!"
"Target No. 2: sixty-nine rings!"
"Target No. 3: off target!"
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, the audience erupted in laughter.
Ten bullets, and not a single shot hit the target—what kind of talent is that? The other recruits looked at the third target, and the off-target recruit scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Target No. 4: eighty-one rings."
Upon hearing her result, Chen Xiwa smiled and secretly glanced at Zhuang Yan and Lin Yi.
"Target No. 5: seventy-one rings!"
"Target No. 6: ninety-nine rings!"
Chen Xiwa was dumbfounded by this. Zhuang Yan looked at her, licked her lips, and a proud smile crossed her face.
"Did you practice?"
Chen Xiwa asked Zhuang Yan curiously.
"I used to be on the shooting team at the sports school," Zhuang Yan replied with a smile.
"No wonder you're so good!" Chen Xiwa remarked, pouting a little.
But at that moment, the target reporter's voice made the scene fall silent.
"Target No. 7: one hundred rings!"
Bang!
Everyone, recruits and veterans alike, was stunned.
Ten bullets and 100 rings—this was beyond belief.
The recruits were trained to shoot from a prone position at a fixed target 100 meters away. Typically, hitting between 60 to 68 rings with ten bullets was considered passing, 70 to 88 rings was good, and 90 rings or more was excellent. Zhuang Yan's ninety-nine rings had already surpassed most veterans in the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, let alone a perfect score of 100 rings.
Even Zheng Sanpao couldn't believe it. He handed the telescope in his hand to the sergeant next to him, trotted over to Lin Yi and Zhuang Yan, and gave an order to a nearby veteran: "Go, bring the sniper rifle here."
"Yes!"
The veteran didn't say a word and promptly left.
At this point, Zheng Sanpao took out two coins from his pocket and asked, "Can you hit it?"
"Yes," Lin Yi replied, his expression as indifferent as ever, showing no signs of excitement.
Zhuang Yan, standing beside him, glanced at the coins, her eyes flickering with uncertainty as she remained silent.
"Heeva, come here!"
"To!"
Chen Xiwa trotted forward.
"Stick these on the target."
Zheng Sanpao handed the two coins to Chen Xiwa, who looked at Lin Yi and Zhuang Yan before tossing the coins toward the target at the far end.
"Report!"
At that moment, the veteran returned with a long, uniquely shaped rifle. The butt and handguard were bronze.
This was a Type 85 sniper rifle, modeled after the old Maozi Dragunov SVD sniper rifle, primarily used by border posts and infantry snipers for targeting important individuals at medium and long distances.
Zheng Sanpao took the Type 85 sniper rifle from the veteran and looked directly at Zhuang Yan: "It's still not too late for you to admit defeat."
"I can do it!" Zhuang Yan replied confidently. "If I can't, I'll do two hundred push-ups."
Whew, whew!
Chen Xiwa panted as she ran back to the shooting position.
Zhuang Yan took the Type 85 sniper rifle from Zheng Sanpao, assumed the firing position, pulled the bolt, and aimed at the coin on the target.
A light breeze rustled the grass beside her. She closed her right eye, peered through the sniper scope with her left eye, and aligned the crosshairs with the coin.
Bang!
With a crisp sound, the bullet burst from the chamber and struck the coin cleanly.
"Good! Good!"
Bang! Bang!
The recruits in the audience erupted in applause, and Zhuang Yan wore a triumphant expression.
Zheng Sanpao took two steps forward and said expressionlessly, "That was just basic skill; stand up!"
Whew!
Zhuang Yan stood up straight, adopting a standard posture.
Everyone's attention shifted to Lin Yi, and even the veterans were eager to see how this recruit, who had previously seemed unshakable, would perform.
"I don't need that," Lin Yi said, glancing at the Type 85 sniper rifle on the ground. He shook his head and gestured to the veteran beside him.
"This."
The veteran hesitated momentarily before looking to Zheng Sanpao, who gave a nod.
"Give it to him."
"Yes!"
The veteran then handed Lin Yi the Type 95 automatic rifle along with a magazine.
Squeak!
Lin Yi took the Type 95 automatic rifle, pulled the bolt, and loaded the magazine.
He stood still, did nothing for a moment, then pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Another crisp gunshot rang out, but this time, no one was prepared for it. They stared, stunned, at the fixed target not far away, where the coin had vanished without a trace.
Shhh!
The crowd gasped.
If Zhuang Yan's shooting had earned the recruits' admiration, Lin Yi's shooting left the veterans in shock.
Shooting at a 100-meter fixed target while standing could be accomplished by many in the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, but hitting a coin on a fixed target while standing and aiming for less than a second was nearly impossible.
Even the veterans realized that even the most accurate shooters and snipers in the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company might struggle to achieve such a feat. This moment was witnessed by everyone present.
Zhuang Yan stood there in disbelief, wondering if this was even possible.
"Company commander, this kid is something else!"
On a hillside not far away, Chen Guotao accompanied Miao Lian as they inspected the recruits' first live-fire training. Seeing Lin Yi's prowess, he couldn't help but be impressed.
"Whew!" Miao Lian took a deep breath.
His optimism about Lin Yi exceeded any importance he had attached to previous recruits.
However, today, he realized he had underestimated Lin Yi. Such shooting skills were rare even in special forces.
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