Chapter 120: The Third‑Class Merit That Quietly Slipped Away

Bang!

Lu Yang sets the 81 rifle to semi‑automatic mode, aims, then lightly pulls the trigger with his finger.

The ten‑ring on the target paper at a hundred meters, perfectly centered, now has a hole.

Safety officer Li Jiang, standing nearby, widens his eyes, a little excited.

He looks up at Zhou Kaidong across from him and mouths a sentence.

"First shot hits the ten‑ring, awesome!"

"Fundamentals!"

Zhou Kaidong replies with two words, smiling.

He knows that although Lu Yang's stint with the sniper training squad wasn't long, the bullets he fired were plenty.

The number of those bullets could be more than many conscripts encounter in two years of service.

Moreover, Lu Yang is innately gifted, and the squad's rifle training starts at two hundred meters.

For the new‑training assessment, a hundred‑meter distance with a ten‑ring focus poses little difficulty for Lu Yang.

Even though Lu Yang's shooting isn't his own training, Zhou Kaidong is still pleased; because he knows the New Recruit Company's first perfect score is about to appear.

As he thought, after Lu Yang fires the first shot and confirms the gun's trajectory is fine, he begins to let loose.

His fingers tap the trigger like playing a piano, and the bullets whiz out of the barrel in flames, leaving a series of holes at the bullseye.

"Five ten‑rings, perfect score!"

Behind, the Tuan Bu leaders watching the assessment show surprised expressions.

For a recruit, achieving such a result isn't easy.

It has happened before, but not often; this counts as a modest surprise.

Wang Zhongxi lifts his binoculars, nods appreciatively: "This Lu Yang is quite gifted; his shooting is pretty accurate."

Tan Yuanzhou adds: "I heard Xiao Guo say this is the most gifted sniper he's ever seen; learns fast, high comprehension, and in just half a month his shooting even rivals the squad's veteran snipers."

Soon, the Third Squad recruits finish shooting, start removing magazines and closing the safety.

Ding Tengfei, panicked and ringing in his ears, almost forgets to engage the safety before trying to stand.

Zhou Kaidong notices and, under the pretense of helping him up, slides his hand over the safety and engages it for him.

The shooting assessment ultimately judges not only scores but also overall performance.

Even though Ding Tengfei's rifle emptied all five rounds, standing up with the safety off could likely nullify his shooting score.

In the unit, the biggest taboo is a negligent discharge and soldiers lacking safety awareness.

Fortunately, Zhou Kaidong's action was discreet enough, a timely assist for Ding Tengfei.

"Thanks, thank you Squad Leader."

"Remember that in the future!"

Zhou Kaidong glances at him, shakes his head slightly, indicating he shouldn't speak recklessly.

Ding Tengfei instantly understands, yet remains grateful.

After the Third Squad recruits line up orderly, the Fourth Class recruits step up to the range.

Since they've finished shooting, the First Platoon recruits quietly discuss in the line, as if a weight has been lifted.

"How did you shoot?"

"Two eight‑rings, the rest outside the five‑ring."

"Then you're better than me; my best shot hit the six‑ring, and another missed the target entirely."

"Hey, hey, hey, Lu Yang hit five ten‑rings; I saw it clearly—could he get a third‑class merit?"

"Whoa! A commendation and a third‑class merit in the same New Recruit Company, that's awesome!"

The recruits cast envious glances at Lu Yang, but he remains silent.

Because he knows that this time the third‑class merit is definitely out of reach.

If it were to be awarded, the Regiment Commander should speak before the shooting assessment to motivate the recruits.

At the very least, after scoring a perfect, he should clap a bit and say something.

Nothing happened, meaning this perfect score isn't enough for a third‑class merit.

This makes Lu Yang very curious about what reason caused the chance to slip away.

At the Division Training Base, there are more people and tougher competition; would a perfect there earn a third‑class merit?

After a quick comparison, Lu Yang thinks that if he scores a perfect there, there's a high chance of getting a third‑class merit.

Moreover, he learned from Wanbaoshan that the Division Training Base's final assessment occurs one or two days earlier than other units' New Recruit Companies.

Thus, Lu Yang hypothesizes that the third‑class merit isn't absent, but was snatched first by some guy at the new‑training base.

"Assistant Squad Leader, when will you get that third‑class merit? Can you show us then?"

Ding Tengfei isn't nervous this time, and his mindset has improved a lot.

Hearing everyone talk about Lu Yang's perfect score and bringing a third‑class merit to the New Recruit Company, he curiously asks about the matter.

Lu Yang: "There's no third‑class merit."

Ding Tengfei, surprised: "Why?"

Lu Yang: "Someone has already snatched it first."

"Snatched first?"

Those four words spark curiosity among the entire First Platoon recruits.

Even Kong Long thinks it's a bit absurd.

They can't imagine a recruit more outstanding and gifted than Lu Yang.

After all, with Lu Yang's current ability, he could easily match veterans; whoever could steal his third‑class merit must have what kind of strength?

Although Lu Yang was quite open-minded and had prepared himself to go with the flow beforehand, he still felt a bit disappointed when the truth was finally revealed.

People are always greedy, never satisfied.

Lu Yang has already received many honors that new recruits have never obtained.

He had been given a pen by the regiment commander, appeared in the military newspaper, received commendations, attended a training team, and was even fought over by the Sixth and Seventh Companies.

Even though he was showered with countless favors, Lu Yang still longed for that Third-Class Merit Medal.

Even on the road that night when he was beating up thugs, Lu Yang fantasized that those guys would suddenly pull out a double-barreled hunting rifle.

He imagined them mocking, "You had a chance but you're useless," then he turned the tables and scored a Third-Class or Second-Class Merit Medal!

Recalling the words spoken earnestly by the deputy section chief at the police station: "I understand you young soldiers crave merit, but could you perhaps......"

At that time, Lu Yang couldn't fully comprehend it, but now he truly feels like a winning lottery ticket slipping away from his side.

In his previous life, Lu Yang didn't understand the military system and wondered why, with police and the PLA already existing, they created the Armed Police.

Later, after watching a popular science video, he learned that the Armed Police were originally a branch of the military and are, strictly speaking, also soldiers.

Their purpose is to deal internally, solving thorny problems that the police cannot handle.

For example, in a certain place, evil forces run rampant under the protection of an umbrella, daring to threaten the police and their families, causing anti-crime operations to make no progress for a long time.

At that point, transferring in an Armed Police mobile unit from elsewhere could directly break the local network of those evil forces.

Evil forces: "Heh, you dare move against me? You and your family will all be finished!"

Armed Police: "Sorry, my family isn't here."

"Then where are you from?"

"What the hell, it's none of your business where I'm from!"

Then a squad of Armed Police, risking their lives, charged in with their guns.

Assault rifles, submachine gun bullets went rat-tat-tat into the enemy.

In their eyes there was no hesitation—only a yearning to earn merit through performance.

This damn place isn't evil forces at all; it's clearly a bunch of walking merit medals!

Bang bang bang, gunfire on the range kept coming, and soon it was the Eighth Squad's turn.

Eighth Squad Assistant Squad Leader Zhang Jiaheng came from a military family; he had fired a gun before joining the unit. Although he hadn't fired as many rounds as Lu Yang, his military quality, shaped by family influence, was in no way inferior.

Five shots: four tens and one nine; his score ranked just below Lu Yang's.

Watching that guy leave with a heartbroken expression, as if he had missed out on a million.

Lu Yang guessed that the guy probably still thought he could win a Third-Class Merit, hoping to compete with him, but ended up slightly inferior.

When Zhang Jiaheng came back, he shouted at Lu Yang: "You're awesome!"

Lu Yang selectively ignored him, turning his gaze toward the Ninth Squad.

This was also the last squad participating in the shooting assessment.

However, Lu Yang noticed in the Ninth Squad a recruit whose face was ashen, body stiff, seeming overly nervous.

His state looked much like that of Deng Tengfei before, but the safety officer beside that recruit seemed not to have noticed.

This made Lu Yang's heart tighten; he hesitated whether to give a slight warning, just in case an accident occurred.