Chapter 491: Pay-to-Win Players, the Allure of Skins

Go!

The six of them, excited, lunged into the vehicle, eagerly grabbing their gear and starting to put it on.

Helmet, tactical vest, tactical waist pouch, gun-mounted strong flashlight, laser sight.

When the head-mounted low-light night vision device was flipped down from the helmet, Zhou Kaidong felt as if he'd been electrified, as though reborn.

Chen Panpan stomped her feet excitedly, as if tap-dancing.

Kang Changyi never imagined he could be this handsome, this suave.

Soldiers not far away who saw this scene had eyes red with envy and jealousy.

At this moment, the meaning of topping up in a game and of skins finally gained a concrete experience.

Compared to the Raptor Team, they were like a bunch of poor players with plain white gear; the others either had pink gear, orange gear, or a winged sky set.

Guo Yongwen's intestines turned green with regret; knowing they could eat this well, he wouldn't have let that rabbit from yesterday go to Ding Tengfei no matter what.

You should know, these aren't just cool-looking; they actually boost combat power.

He'd served so many years but never worn such high-end combat gear, making him envy them badly.

Gao Feng and Ma Qing'an took in everyone's longing, envious looks.

"Lu Yang's trick really works; look at all those envious faces."

"Never mind them, I want a set too; this gear is truly handsome, a real man‑slow‑down."

"Such professional gear—I don't know where Lu Yang got it; even the reconnaissance detachment doesn't have this kind of capability, yet he managed to equip everyone."

The six members of the Raptor Team, fully geared up, were immersed in joy, constantly striking tactical poses from FPS game loading screens.

"Huh, what's this little icon on the back of the helmet for?"

"Duh, you don't know? It's to tell friend from foe in dark environments."

"How does it tell them apart? It doesn't even light up."

"Only when you put on the low‑light night vision can you see it!"

"Wow, Platoon Leader Kang, you know a lot!"

"Of course; otherwise you'd think I went through military academy for nothing."

"Attention!"

Lu Yang's single command had the six, still immersed in joy, snap to attention.

"At ease!"

"Shoulder width!"

All six assumed the shoulder‑width stance, expressions solemn.

Lu Yang stepped back two steps, looked at them, and nodded in satisfaction.

As they say, 'clothes make the man'; once this gear was on, they felt instantly different, imbued with a stern, killing aura.

Lu Yang knew this aura came from the gear; if they actually fought, they'd immediately give themselves away, lacking assault‑combat ability.

Lu Yang asked, "New gear—are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied!"

Everyone shouted back at the top of their lungs.

Kang Changyi and Chen Panpan couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

It was clear they truly loved it, loved it to the extreme.

Many enlist just because they like the look of uniforms; but with a full set of tactical gear, it's not just about looking sharp—the air itself feels oppressive.

"Don't you feel it's heavy?"

"No!"

"Don't you feel it's burdensome?"

"Not burdensome!"

"Alright, take it off first."

"Huh?"

The six all drew out their voices, hoping to wear it a bit longer,

Even Liu Ziqiang wriggled cutely, unwilling to take it off once it was on.

Lu Yang: "Take it off first; after finishing basic daily training, I'll let you wear it. Then we'll conduct some tactical‑skill training geared toward actual combat."

"Basic training—wearing this gear is too burdensome and unnecessary; hurry up and take it off."

Only then did they reluctantly take off the gear and put it back in the vehicle.

As they turned to leave, they wistfully thought in their hearts: 'Little treasure, wait for me; we'll meet again.'

When the six returned to the ranks, a stream of envious gazes fell upon them, truly giving them a thrill.

It was like a few top‑rank kings suddenly appearing among bronze players—naturally they'd be worshipped.

Lu Yang had the six return to formation, then said: "That set of tactical gear belongs exclusively to the Raptor Team; right now the team has six members, but that doesn't mean it will always stay six."

"In other words, you too have a chance to join and to receive your own exclusive tactical gear."

"However, the gear is limited—first come, first served—and you must be outstanding and work hard."

These words were like a shot of adrenaline to everyone's hearts, boosting morale.

The Raptor Team is like the grade's rocket class: if you're excellent enough, you can get in and receive more professional guidance.

With a goal, they naturally have more to look forward to; consequently, everyone is more motivated in training.

In the following days, the unit's training enthusiasm surged to unprecedented heights.

After lunch, returning to the dormitory, the soldiers were just about to lie down for a rest when the door was knocked.

Wu Sida, wearing the full set of tactical gear, appeared at the doorway and shouted at Kang Changyi, who was sitting there reading.

He left, the instructor notified to go to the shooting range for training.

Kang Changyi pretentiously stood up, deliberately making the bench make some noise.

Then he went to the cabinet to get his gear and put it on, meanwhile muttering to himself.

"Tsk, really, it's so annoying."

"I still wanted to sleep a bit, but you won't give me a chance."

"Old Wu, what subject are we training today? Live-fire shooting? It's not difficult, right? Won't it be something like standing a coin on the muzzle? How boring."

Wu Sida rolled his eyes; although he hadn't known this guy long, he could tell the guy liked to show off.

Clearly he could just put on his gear and go, but he insists on doing six fake moves per second, as if afraid people wouldn't know he's going to intensified training.

Seeing the guy dawdle, Wu Sida couldn't be bothered to wait and just left first.

Finally finished dressing, Kang Changyi then took out a razor to shave his beard, only then leaving in a very showy manner.

"Where are you going?"

Coincidentally, Ma Qing'an and Pan Yuan were passing by on patrol, so he casually asked.

Kang Changyi, like a model student, stuck out his chest and buttocks, gave an exaggerated salute, and spoke in a strange tone: "Report to Company Commander, the instructor called us to assemble at the shooting range; I'm about to go."

Ma Qing'an oh-ed: "Go ahead."

"Yes~"

Kang Changyi stamped his foot hard, and when passing other classes' doorways, he deliberately coughed and stamped his foot.

Afraid others wouldn't notice his handsome combat outfit, afraid they wouldn't know he was a member of the Raptor Team.

Ma Qing'an couldn't help but retort upon seeing his showy appearance: "If I ran into him on the battlefield, I wouldn't shoot anyone else, I'd just target him; all day long, he's so flashy, like a rooster."

Pan Yuan: "Young people, just like to show off; the novelty will pass."

Ma Qing'an chuckles coldly: "The past? Do you think he looks like he's trying to be fresh over there!"

"Last night, I went to the restroom and saw this guy taking a dump while damn wearing a tactical helmet, a ballistic tactical vest, and a night‑vision device on his head; I'm damn stunned!"

"Hahaha, after the Military Police kid left, nobody played with him, he's getting pissed off."

"He went completely crazy, like he's sick!"

"No problem, we'll show him some color in a moment; earlier I went to Lu Yang's office and saw the training schedule on his desk, later…"

Pan Yuan leaned in and whispered something in his ear; Ma Qing'an's eyes lit up: "Let's go, let's go, hurry and check it out, I love watching the kid get scared into peeing his pants!"

The shooting range isn't very large; the farthest target is only about two hundred meters, but it still meets the daily training shooting requirements.

At this moment, the other five members of the squad had already assembled and were waiting here; Lu Yang was holding the radio and speaking to the target spotter over there.

Seeing the tardy Kang Changyi, Zhou Kaidong and the others all gave malicious smiles and urged him to hurry over.

"Report!"

Kang Changyi jogged up to Lu Yang and shouted a report, requesting to rejoin the team.

Lu Yang, out of character, flashed a friendly smile at him.

"Here you are?"

"Mm."

"We've been waiting for you; if you don't come, we can't start the training."

Saying that, Lu Yang took off his helmet and removed his ballistic tactical vest.

Kang Changyi was full of questions; before he could react, his hands were already bound behind his back by Lu Yang.

He was stunned: "Instructor, what's this for?"

Lu Yang clasped him and walked forward: "It's fine, it's fine."

"Are you not taking me anywhere?"

"Not going anywhere, just ahead; yes, stand here, lean against the wall, stay still, don't move."

Kang Changyi glanced at the densely bullet‑riddled earthen wall behind him, then at the upright human‑shaped targets on both sides, and broke into a cold sweat.

"Brother Lu, you, don't make jokes like this?"

"Don't worry, it's fine."

"I'm timid, don't scare me, what's this for?"

"Nothing, just close your eyes, stand still, don't move, it'll be over soon."

Lu Yang turned his head and shouted toward the five people in the distance.

"Shooting, prepare!"

"My god!!!"

Seeing the others collectively pull the bolt, Kang Changyi was terrified, his soul fled his body, and he bolted outward.

The five of them burst out laughing on the spot; the bullets hadn't even been delivered yet, just the dry pulling of the bolt scared him like that.

Lu Yang watched the figure with hands bound behind his back sprinting away, rubbed his chin; this was his first time seeing Kang Changyi run so fast.