Chapter 25: The Old Soldier's Regret

Compared to Chen Shanming, Fan Tianlei's face looked much worse.

This…… is a bit embarrassing! As the chief of staff of the proud Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade, I, together with the brigade commander and a bunch of instructors, brought 'cheat' equipment to give these trainees a proper lesson.

But now?

The lesson hadn't even gotten halfway when the students turned the tables on them—this is really embarrassing! Although three people were eliminated at once, the remaining six faced twelve soldiers who were all new recruits to them, from Fan Tianlei to Gong Jian, and nobody thought they would lose this exercise.

It's just that the victory isn't as perfect as before.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaotian and his three companions, who had just regrouped, were also discussing countermeasures.

The first thing they need to do now is gather the remaining comrades together and reorganize into teams.

After all, in this kind of opposing exercise, anyone who ends up alone is just giving the enemy a free kill.

Now that we have the Blue side's communicator, I believe they will likewise choose to shut it off, putting us on equal footing in terms of mutual communication.

What we need to do first is find the others; ideally, we'd form three groups of four, just like we are now.

Otherwise, it would be hard to oppose them. Liu Xiaotian spoke first.

He Chen Guang nodded, indicating his agreement.

Li Erniu gave a simple smile: 'Alright, you're sharp—I'll follow your lead.'

Only Wang Yanbing still wore a look of disbelief that hadn't fully faded; she hadn't even half‑heard Liu Xiaotian's words: 'You say the side we're opposing in this exercise is really led by Chief of Staff Fan?'

For this somewhat 'silly' guy, Li Erniu didn't pick up the thread, while He Chen Guang and Liu Xiaotian each gave him a big eye‑roll.

This guy's mind seems a bit off; he ought to go get a four‑wheel alignment.

Having settled on the next step, the four immediately rose, spread out in a combat formation, alternating cover as they advanced, seeking the remaining eight comrades.

Soon they found Cai Xiaoxin and another soldier.

Both were still lying low behind their chosen cover, honest and still; had Liu Xiaotian not called out, they wouldn't have revealed themselves.

Only after revealing themselves did they discover that their two hiding spots were actually less than twenty meters apart.

Yet over the past hour, neither dared to move a muscle.

It wasn't cowardice; they were waiting for an opportunity.

As a matter of fact, anyone who rashly revealed themselves and acted has already been eliminated.

Whether in drill or real mission, caution is basic; sufficient patience and keen observation are the keys to completing the task alive.

With the 'team' now six strong, Liu Xiaotian grew bolder and more confident.

Among the six, one person always remained in stealth.

Liu Xiaotian had absolute confidence that, in this situation, unless the enemy also operated as a coordinated team, any shot fired would be instantly spotted and eliminated by the stealthy teammate.

If we could trade one for one, or even two for one, he was confident we could win this exercise.

But at this point, Liu Xiaotian clearly underestimated Fan Tianlei, the Senior Chief of Staff, and his 'methods'.

Behind the bushes where Fan Tianlei was concealed, a micro silent drone under his control quietly rose to an altitude of about fifteen meters, carrying a high‑definition camera to begin scanning the figures in this forest.

Although it bears the name 'silent,' in fact it cannot be completely silent.

But at an altitude of only a dozen meters, the sound audible to people on the ground is extremely faint.

Moreover, one must be paying close attention to hear it.

At the same time, the images captured by the drone appeared instantly on the micro displays held by He Zhijun and the other five.

Soon, a lone soldier crouching and searching was locked onto.

The one who locked onto him was Laohei. One shot—clean and swift—sent up a puff of red smoke.

That soldier, disheartened, engaged the safety, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and walked toward the designated elimination point.

He didn't even have a chance to drop the magazine, for the electronic system judged him hit in the head—one shot, dead.

At the instant the gunshot rang out, Liu Xiaotian's six almost simultaneously turned toward the direction of the fire, feeling a bit annoyed.

But this only strengthened Liu Xiaotian's judgment.

Their opponents were extremely scattered, and fewer in number than they were.

Otherwise, the Blue side would have no need to adopt such tactics.

Just then, Liu Xiaotian caught a black speck flickering in the corner of his eye.

He immediately said in a low voice: 'Alert!'

At the same time, he raised the barrel and looked through the scope for a target.

One must admit, Liu Xiaotian's vigilance is really good.

Merely in the time it took to glance toward the gunshot's direction and turn his head back, he spotted that fleeting drone.

After locking onto the target, Liu Xiaotian suddenly laughed.

It was clear that this drone's value far surpassed the photography‑oriented drones he had seen in his former world.

I'd wager this thing isn't cheap!

If that's the case……

Liu Xiaotian disengaged the safety on the Type 85 sniper rifle in his hand, then with his other hand took the Type 10 sniper rifle slung on his opposite shoulder, loaded a ten‑round magazine, released the safety, worked the bolt, and set the bipod on a tree branch.

The Type 10 sniper rifle weighs over twenty pounds; aiming it purely with arm strength even at a distance of only a dozen meters makes a precise hit no easy feat.

Liu Xiaotian wasn't unwilling to try; he simply needed to ensure a one‑shot kill.

With the rifle set up, Liu Xiaotian squinted one eye, habitually calculating the time and muttered under his breath: 'Jiaweis……'

Before his squinted left eye, a line of data promptly appeared as usual.

To be frank, among all the 'assist functions' that system has brought him since its appearance, he is most satisfied with this one.

It really is a bit high‑end.

Soon, the drone swept around the lush canopy of that big tree and reappeared in Liu Xiaotian's field of view.

Pre‑press the trigger, aim……

Liu Xiaotian's movements were practiced and swift, as relaxed as during training.

"Whoa!..."

"Damn!..."

"It's over!"

The six people left with Fan Tianlei, each hidden in different directions in this forest, almost simultaneously let out a low gasp.

Just as Liu Xiaotian thought, this drone's cost is a bit high.

Its mounted camera equipment can clearly capture people's faces on the ground from an altitude of nearly a hundred meters, and with clear facial features.

The key is, this thing is expensive!

(End of chapter)