Chapter 45

The next morning, twenty-four soldiers had just arrived at the assembly point when they saw that CH——47, which just a few days earlier had carried them to complete their parachute 'graduation', parked on the open ground.

What surprised everyone was that, aside from the old class monitor Zhou Tianzuo, who broke into a grin the moment he saw Liu Xiaotian, there was no one else—Chen Shanming wasn't there either.

Before anyone could ask, Zhou Tianzuo walked up with a beaming smile and spoke loudly to everyone:

"No need to wait, Instructor Chen Shanming has a mission and has already left; as the second echelon, you will board immediately, and I will take you to the designated location."

"Weapons and equipment are already on the plane; after boarding, just put them on."

"Don't ask me anything else either, because I don't know."

Saying this, Zhou Tianzuo raised his hand and tapped his own rank insignia:

Furthermore, the blank rounds used in the exercise have a signal device in the bullet tip; as long as the bullet's trajectory forms a straight line with the signal device in the target's electronic smoke pack, that smoke pack is triggered, emitting colored smoke to indicate a hit and elimination.

In one, at a glance `none, one mistake version%!'

At that moment, the bullets in the magazine that Liu Xiaotian touched, which looked indistinguishable from live rounds, were actually blank rounds as well.

"Why is my gun empty?" Wang Yanbing said, somewhat dejected.

The reason Wang Yanbing's gun had nothing in it is that the blank rounds for the Type 10 Sniper Rifle are even more expensive than live ammunition, and the Iron Fist Group simply doesn't have this kind of blank round.

Even during the parachute jump, Liu Xiaotian still felt a bit excited.

If that were the case, the Polar Bear side wouldn't be a problem.

Seeing Wang Yanbing's empty magazine, Liu Xiaotian instinctively felt the magazine on his own ammunition belt.

What if something unexpected happens? Who can guarantee that?

The only thing that cannot be certain is whether He Chen Guang and Cha Cai in this world still have the kind of relationship they had in the TV drama.

If Liu Xiaotian knew that, he'd probably laugh so hard he'd wake up from his dreams.

The Iron Fist Group doesn't have them, but that doesn't mean the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade lacks them either! Just like the rifle blanks, the Type 10 Sniper Rifle's blank rounds also use the latest technology: the bullet head is made of a special polyethylene material that burns and decomposes completely within a few meters after being fired, making them more convenient, environmentally friendly, and realistic. However, because the Type 10 Sniper Rifle's range is several times that of ordinary rifles, the signal device in the blank's bullet head must be far more precise, so naturally its manufacturing cost is much higher than that of rifle blanks.

As an instructor and the future leader of the Red Blood Cell Squad, Chen Shanming would have to be out of his mind to dare issue live ammunition to a soldier during the exercise—even he and Fan Tianlei, as snipers, wouldn't dare use live rounds in a drill!

"Don't talk nonsense; I don't want to be dragged into punishment because of you!"

Don't disagree; this is a fact.

He had even already planned it: once the Red Blood Cell Squad is formed, its first mission will be to target the criminal organization that Xiezi works for—namely, the people controlled by the Polar Bear.

However, to him, the current parachute jump is essentially no different from playing a game.

Two hours after the plane took off, Liu Xiaotian went through the parachute jump once again.

Even if they are blank rounds, he still has some kind of reaction, doesn't he?

"Just like you, I'm also a soldier; I've just been in the service a bit longer."

Just that it needs to be a bit more advanced.

"Exercise? Why wasn't I notified beforehand?"

At most he's just a Monkey King, able only to be toyed with in someone's palm.

As for Xiezi, Liu Xiaotian didn't even give it a thought, because the parachute drop zone was still that same forest—only the exact spot differed by several tens of kilometers, far from the border.

Wang Yanbing also felt Zhou Tianzuo's sweeping gaze and, sensing the cue, stayed silent.

Under Zhou Tianzuo's order, the twenty-four soldiers immediately boarded the plane and, without delay, put on their gear and fastened their seat belts.

But these things, Liu Xiaotian still cannot fully understand them at present.

Because in his heart, Xiezi and the criminal organization he serves have always been a thorn in Fan Tianlei's side.

He Chen Guang, as usual, inspected his weapon after picking it up and immediately discovered the blank rounds in the magazine.

Of course, that was merely what he thought were live rounds.

Even though the Monkey King has heavenly abilities, in the end he still obediently accompanies Tang Sanzang to fetch the scriptures; these two issues—system and reality—are impossible to avoid, whether in myth or in actuality.

Wang Yanbing also noticed the blank rounds in He Chen Guang's magazine while he was inspecting his weapon, and hastily removed the magazine from his own Type 10 Sniper Rifle—only to find it completely empty.

Simply put, unless one fires the weapon, even soldiers who handle guns all day would find it extremely difficult to tell that these are actually blank rounds—except for professional munitions personnel.

Although Liu Xiaotian comes from another world, in terms of experience he isn't even a rookie.

Inside, there were ten 'live rounds' pressed in.

He first stared in surprise, then slightly furrowed his brow and said to Liu Xiaotian:

The reason the exercise site was set up here is that Fan Tianlei insisted on it repeatedly.

Moreover, the blank rounds for other firearms differ in weight, but the blank rounds for the Type 10 Sniper Rifle weigh exactly the same as live rounds.

His reason for agreeing to Liu Xiaotian's request was merely to create a tense atmosphere for him.

Liu Xiaotian gave him a sideways glance, lowered his voice, and said:

With He Chen Guang present, Xiezi is surely destined to be the losing side.

Wang Yanbing from the troop, hearing this, curled his lip and whispered to Liu Xiaotian: "This guy can pretend even better than Laohei; Laohei is only a Level 2 master sergeant, and our regiment chief treats him politely when they meet—apparently they're from the same conscription batch; this Old Zhou is a Level 1 master sergeant, and although he's in charge of logistics maintenance, I've heard he can walk into the brigade commander's office without knocking; moreover, hearing him say that, I can't help feeling there's a 'cat nip' vibe in here."

However, after personally experiencing many plot developments that differed from those in film and television, Liu Xiaotian truly had no confidence at all in how things would unfold.

If something unexpected were to happen in the middle, how should he respond?

Because he clearly knows that the Polar Bear doesn't need him to lift a finger—the Xiezi and Cha Cai will do the work for him.

Chen Shanming's failure to inform Liu Xiaotian beforehand that these were blank rounds was, naturally, also the intention of He Zhijun and Fan Tianlei.

Although the system has provided him with some help, given his current state, if he were truly to face Xiezi and that gang of desperadoes under his command, he dare not say how much the system could actually do.

Just the lag phenomenon of this Level‑1 system is enough to trip him up badly at a critical moment.

He himself, however, isn't worried.

After all, he's a transmigrator; if an accident occurs, he might even be sent back to resume his life as a rich second‑generation heir……

(End of chapter)