Chapter 1399: Dare to Place a Bet

"Sniper Team One, First Echelon of the Hui-5 Beast Tide Disaster Relief, Team Leader Zhu Zhenming, receiving. Welcome aboard, Sister Qing."

Hearing that familiar voice, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button. "Team Leader, welcome back to the team."

Hui-3 Special Ops Second Team's Zhu Zhenming was the sniper squad leader when Xia Qing joined the southern evolved forest bird-hunting mission during this year's September migratory bird season.

That night, he teamed up with Xia Qing and Tangzhou, rushing to Hui-3's Mountain Nineteen to intercept the Phantom Squad—Hui-5's top snipers who had infiltrated Hui-3 base's evolved forest.

During that mission, Zhu Zhenming took a bullet to the leg. As far as Xia Qing knew, this was his first combat mission out since recovering.

Zhu Zhenming's voice carried a smile. "Thanks, Sister Qing."

After Special Ops Second Team's senior snipers Eclipse Moon and Blood Fang, and Silver Moon Squad's senior sniper Wei Yingui all greeted Xia Qing, Zhu Zhenming briefed the last to arrive, Xia Qing, on the mission. "In eight minutes, the beast tide will enter our squad's sniper range. Our targets are those two senior speed-evolved lynxes. Take them out if you can."

Xia Qing replied calmly, "Copy."

"Sister Qing, Hui-5 deliberately drove the beast tide toward our base this time to get revenge for you killing their top sniper. We're counting on you later." Though Zhou Baldy had called Xia Qing "Sister," his casual tone carried not a shred of respect.

Special Ops senior sniper Blood Fang said coldly, "A squad infiltrating our base's evolved forest at night—it's the base commander himself who ordered top snipers to intercept. If Captain Zhou has any complaints, take it up with the base commander directly."

Wei Yingui's rough voice rang out too. "Zhou Baldy, if you've really got the guts, go give Yang Jin that passive-aggressive attitude of yours."

Aurora Squad is currently Hui-3's second-ranked squad, in competition and conflict of interest with Azure Dragon Squad. A few days ago, the base posted a high-bounty 2S-rank mission; Aurora failed to beat Azure Dragon to it, so Aurora's third-in-command Zhou Baldy was furious. Now, the girlfriend of the miser who just snatched his job has come to compete with him for work—Zhou Baldy's temper only got worse.

Being passive-aggressive is one thing; having it called out in public is another. Zhou Baldy gave a cold snort and didn't pick up that thread again.

Being challenged publicly, Xia Qing certainly wouldn't take it lying down. "You can come find me too. Zhou Chuan'an, did you come to the front-line anti-disaster sniper mission to watch the show?"

Zhou Baldy shot back immediately, "Of course not! I'm here to shoot speed-evolved lynxes and earn points!"

The high-point mission to take down senior evolved lynxes can only be taken by top and senior snipers.

Xia Qing replied calmly, "I'm here to earn points too. Dare you take this chance and have a bet with me? If I take down one lynx, you give me a thousand points; if you take down one, I give you twenty thousand points."

No one can predict where the speed-evolved lynxes will appear, so everyone's sniper position has an equal chance. What Xia Qing was betting with Zhou Baldy on wasn't just sniping ability, but luck too.

Everyone: A thousand against twenty thousand... arrogant enough!

Zhou Chuan'an was so angry he kept huffing, but couldn't get a single word out.

Refusing the bet meant admitting cowardice; accepting it meant admitting his sniping ability was twenty times worse than Xia Qing's; raising his stake to match hers would look like he was rushing to hand points to Xia Qing.

Damn!

The more he thought, the angrier he got!

Last time he went on a sniper mission with Xia Qing, she was still a tight-lipped type. How did she suddenly evolve into a cannon today?

Could she have learned it from Yang Jin?!

Damn!

Wei Yingui gloated, laughing as he urged, "Why's Baldy not talking? Gone mute? Or just doesn't dare to bet with Sister Qing?"

Zhou Baldy cursed, "You're the bald one, damn you! Your whole family's bald!"

Zhu Zhenming called a halt to the argument. "All team members, the beast tide arrives in five minutes. Keep the channel quiet."

Xia Qing dropped to one knee, raised her sniper rifle, and fixed her eyes on the evolved forest ahead.

Zhu Wei, the visual evolver assigned as Xia Qing's spotter, noticed her sniper rifle had no scope, but wasn't surprised.

Luo Pei doesn't use a scope when sniping. Xia Qing learned her sniping technique from Luo Pei—same school, same style!

When the earth began to tremble and snow on the branches came pattering down, Zhu Wei's brow furrowed slightly.

Once the beast tide arrived and the targets entered the designated zone, the ground tremor would be even more pronounced. Under these conditions, could Xia Qing really hit a medium-sized senior speed-evolved lynx?

She dared to bet Zhou Baldy twenty thousand points—she must have some confidence, right?

"All team members, one minute until targets enter sniper range."

Zhu Wei immediately raised her binoculars, searching for the targets with full concentration.

Xia Qing laid out the sniper plan. "Sister Zhu, if both speed-evolved lynxes appear at once, you watch the one on the left. The moment I take down the first, tell me the position and distance of the second immediately."

Hearing Xia Qing's voice still calm, Zhu Wei responded calmly as well. "Understood."

When this half-level-six visual evolution scout spotted the sniper targets through the rolling snow mist, the confidence she had just built crumbled by half again.

Because the targets' running speed had already become too fast for her naked eye to capture their complete movement trajectories. In her field of vision, that lynx wasn't running—it was a continuous series of afterimage flashes, beyond the limits of visual persistence!

Relying on her outstanding calculation ability, Zhu Wei confirmed this was no longer a target a senior sniper could hit—only a top sniper could.

She was now a top sniper's spotter—she absolutely could not drop the ball!

Er Yong and Peng Jian both told her to just do her best. The spotter beside her lost composure for a few seconds, clearly losing confidence too. Xia Qing stilled her mind, focused her spirit, and fixed her eyes on the target in the snow mist.

The breathing beside her, the beast tide's roars, the trembling of the earth—all faded away from her.

Air density, humidity, wind speed and other data rapidly integrated in her brain into a perfect ballistic trajectory.

Apart from that arc connecting her to the target, there was nothing else in the evolved forest.

The rapidly moving lynx landed beneath a thick spruce tree, pausing for a twentieth of a second, as if to get its bearings and choose its next leaping point.

Xia Qing predicted its landing spot and decisively pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

The first shot rang out, and every heart in Sniper Team One skipped a beat.

The top sniper's first shot missed the target! Zhu Wei's binoculars swept quickly, searching for the target's position.

"Bang, bang!" Gunshots also came from the second and fifth sniper positions. No one reported hitting the target.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

After three shots, Xia Qing spoke. "Second target."

Zhu Wei immediately reported, "Eleven o'clock, 1,400 meters, moving away!"

Xia Qing swiftly swung the muzzle, searching for and locking onto the target, predicting its movement direction, and decisively pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

As the lynx's corpse fell, Xia Qing retrieved her spear and calmly reported, "Two speed-evolved lynxes shot and killed. Mission complete."