Chapter 83: Dark Night Hunter

North wind rolled snow bits, scraping his face like a knife. Li Ping'an stood on the training ground, looking at the ten carefully selected team members, mulling over the next step of the training plan in his mind.

From today on, what you will learn is not how to fire a gun. Li Ping'an's voice was especially clear in the cold wind, but how to let a single bullet decide the outcome of a battle.

Er Gazi rubbed his reddened, frozen hands and muttered: Instructor, haven't we already learned how to shoot?

Li Ping'an glanced at him: That's just firing, not shooting. A true marksman can hit a Japanese officer's brow from a kilometer away.

The team members exploded: One kilometer? What gun would you need? Our old tubes can barely hit two hundred meters!

Li Ping'an didn't explain, just gave a slight smile: Follow me.

He led the team to a concealed valley behind the mountains. The terrain was peculiar, surrounded by mountains on all sides yet an open space in the middle. Most astonishing, several oddly shaped targets stood in the valley, some only palm-sized, some even moving.

This…… Er Gazi widened his eyes.

This is our sniper training ground. Li Ping'an patted the oilcloth-covered object beside him, come see our new gear.

The oilcloth was lifted, revealing three oddly shaped rifles. Their barrels were much longer than ordinary rifles, and a strange lens was mounted on top.

These are Type 97 sniper rifles captured from the Japanese. Li Ping'an skillfully picked up one; the device on top is called a telescopic sight, which can make distant targets clear as day.

The team members gathered around, each curiously examining these new weapons.

Instructor, let me have a try? Er Gazi was eager to try.

Li Ping'an handed him the rifle: Don't rush to fire. The first lesson for a sniper is learning to conceal oneself.

He pointed to a target a hundred meters away: Do you see that target? Now I want each of you to think of a way to approach within fifty meters without being detected.

The team members looked at each other, bewildered: How can we hide in this icy snow?

Nevertheless, they steeled themselves. Some lay flat in the snow and crawled forward, some used bushes for cover, and a clever one found a white cloth to drape over himself.

Li Ping'an observed with a telescope, shaking his head from time to time: The one draped in white cloth, do you think the Japanese are blind? You'd be exposed at the slightest move! The one crawling, your posture is wrong, your rear stuck up so high, as if afraid the enemy won't see you?

In the end only three barely passed, Er Gazi among them. He somehow gathered a bundle of dry grass and branches, camouflaging himself as a small snowdrift, and slowly inched forward.

Not bad, a bit of brains. Li Ping'an rarely praised him, but it was still not good enough.

In the days that followed, the team members finally understood what devilish training meant. Every morning before dawn they had to get up to practice concealment, lying still for hours, often someone would freeze and fall asleep directly in the snow.

Remember, breathe lightly and slowly. Li Ping'an demonstrated, especially in winter one must watch for the white vapor of exhalation giving away position. Breathe into your sleeve or the snow.

Afternoon practice was aiming. Not live-fire shooting, but various strange training methods.

Sometimes they had to stare at a needle's eye for half a day, sometimes place a bullet on the barrel and maintain balance without dropping it. The most grueling was hanging a brick— a brick hung from the barrel, held motionless while aiming.

Instructor, what are we practicing? A team member's arms shook like sifting chaff.

We're training composure. Li Ping'an expressionless, a true sniper's heartbeat cannot change when pulling the trigger.

Er Gazi, however, had talent; his first live-fire shot scored well. At a hundred meters, four out of five hits.

Not bad. Li Ping'an nodded, but don't get cocky. On the battlefield, the Japanese won't stand still to let you shoot.

So he devised moving-target training. Pulling targets with ropes across the snow, he had the team practice shooting moving targets.

During a break that day, Li Ping'an suddenly asked: Do you know what makes a sniper most formidable?

Marksmanship! Er Gazi blurted out.

Li Ping'an shook his head. It's patience. Sometimes to wait for a target, you may need to lie concealed for days.

To train this, he had the team members take turns concealing themselves at preset positions, observing and recording activity in the camp. Whoever missed a detail had to do extra drills.

Gradually, the team members began to take shape. Their marksmanship grew more accurate, concealment more hidden, observation more meticulous.

But Li Ping'an remained dissatisfied: You still lack one thing—combat experience.

An opportunity came soon. Intelligence showed the Japanese would dispatch an inspection team to the front in three days, led by a lieutenant colonel.

This is a good opportunity. Political Commissar Zhou pointed at the map: They will surely take this road; we can set an ambush along the way.

Li Ping'an studied the map carefully, then pointed to a hill: This is the ideal sniper point, with a wide view and easy concealment and retreat.

The mission was given to Er Gazi and the two other top-performing team members. This is the most important mission since the Flying Eagle Team was formed, and also the first real combat for the sniper squad.

On the night before departure, the three team members were too nervous to sleep. Er Gazi went to find Li Ping'an: Instructor, my heart is pounding……

Li Ping'an smiled: Normal. When I first carried out a mission, my hand shook so much I could barely hold the rifle steady.

He took out a small notebook: Come, let me lecture you on precautions……

At dawn the next day, the sniper squad set out quietly. Li Ping'an personally led the team, continually teaching along the way how to choose routes, erase traces, and use terrain for cover.

After reaching the designated spot, they spent two full hours setting up the sniper position. Not only must the camouflage be perfect, they also had to plan the retreat route and set dummy mines to delay pursuers.

Everything was ready; all that remained was to wait.

Time passed second by second, the bitter wind piercing to the bone. The three team members lay motionless in the snow. Li Ping'an beside them observed the distant road with a telescope.

At noon, the sound of vehicle engines finally came from afar. A Japanese convoy slowly approached.

Ready. Li Ping'an gave a low-voiced order.

Er Gazi drew a deep breath, lightly placed his finger on the trigger. Through the sight, he could clearly see the officer seated in the middle vehicle.

Target confirmed, one lieutenant colonel. Li Ping'an's voice was terrifyingly calm: distance four hundred meters, wind from the northeast, force three. Adjust two clicks right.

Er Gazi gently turned the knob on the sight; the crosshairs steadied onto the officer's head.

Wait for my command. Li Ping'an continued observing, waiting for the convoy to fully enter the bend, when its speed was slowest……

The convoy slowly entered the bend, its speed noticeably dropping.

Now!

Er Gazi held his breath and gently pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the valley. Through the sight, Er Gazi clearly saw the lieutenant colonel's head snap back, blood splattering the vehicle window.

Target hit! Li Ping'an immediately ordered, retreat!

The three quickly gathered their gear and withdrew along the preset route. A few minutes later, distant shouts and sporadic gunfire from the Japanese could be heard, but it was already too late.

When they returned to the camp, night had fallen. Political Commissar Zhou and the team members had long been waiting there, every face full of anticipation.

How did it go? Political Commissar Zhou asked eagerly.

Er Gazi hadn't recovered from the excitement, stammering: "Hit, hit! One shot, headshot!"

The camp instantly boiled over. Everyone surrounded the three heroes, chattering away asking for details.

Li Ping'an, however, stood to the side, a relieved smile on his face. At this moment, he seemed to have returned to those moments of special forces growing up that he had seen in TV dramas in his previous life.

At the evening victory celebration, Er Gazi couldn't help but ask: Instructor, how do you know so many sniping techniques?

Li Ping'an gazed at the jumping bonfire and said softly: This was taught to me by an old friend.

Naturally, he was referring to those special forces TV dramas and movies from his previous life. But in this world, this is his exclusive secret manual.

Night had deepened, everyone had fallen asleep. Li Ping'an sat alone by the campfire, taking out a notebook to record today's combat summary.

Zhou Zhengwei walked over at some point: Still summarizing?

Li Ping'an didn't even look up; although this time they succeeded, there were still many problems. The traces left during the retreat were too many, camouflage could still be improved……

Zhou Zhengwei sat down beside him: You've done very well. Yan'an sent another telegram, highly praising this operation, saying they want to promote this tactic throughout the army.

Li Ping'an shook his head: This is just the beginning. The value of snipers goes far beyond this. In the future, they can recon enemy positions, carry out point eliminations, and even influence the course of entire battles.

So what are your plans for the next step?

The focus will be on night sniping and team coordination. Li Ping'an said, they also need to be taught explosives, communications, wilderness survival... there's a lot to learn.

Zhou Zhengwei patted his shoulder: Take it slow, don't be too eager. You're now the precious gem of our Anti-Japanese Allied Army.

Li Ping'an gazed at the star-filled sky and suddenly asked: Commissar, you say after the victory in the Anti-Japanese War, will these skills still be useful?

Zhou Zhengwei laughed: How could they not be useful? Building a New China requires talent from all aspects. You lot with special skills are all precious wealth of the state.

Li Ping'an also laughed. He had been in this world for almost a year, from initial confusion to present determination, finally finding his place and value.

The next day, Li Ping'an got up especially early. He walked around the camp and finally stopped at the edge of the sniper training ground.

Team members arrived at the training ground one after another; seeing Li Ping'an, they all froze for a moment. Today's instructor seemed somewhat different, but they couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

Assemble! Li Ping'an's voice boomed.

The team members quickly formed ranks and stood ready.

Starting today, we will conduct a new training subject. Li Ping'an scanned each person with his gaze: I will teach you how to hit targets three hundred meters away at night, how two people can cooperate to complete a sniping mission, and how to survive in extreme environments...

The team members' eyes lit up; these are all genuine skills!

On the training ground, slogans rang out again, louder and more powerful than before.

Li Ping'an looked at this group of soldiers becoming more and more proper, his heart filled with hope. The sniper squad of the Flying Eagle Team has just taken its first steps; the road ahead is still long.

In the distance, a red sun rose from the mountaintop, illuminating the entire valley. A new day, new training, new challenges—all awaited them.