Stunned.
The snipers in the formation were all struck silent by Lu Qiming’s perfect ten-ring score.
Everyone had thought that in such a torrential downpour, sniping would be impossible. But now, with a live example right before their eyes, who could find an excuse to slack off?
After several seconds of deathly silence, Wang Chengyi, serving as the spotter, was the first to recover.
“All right! Attention everyone! Open your eyes wide and see for yourselves— who said you can’t snipe in heavy rain?” Wang Chengyi’s fierce gaze swept over the entire field as he ordered in a deep voice, “Next up, Liu Haitao, grab your rifle and get ready!”
“Yes, sir!”
The named sniper saluted sharply, then slung his sniper rifle on his back and stepped out of the line, heading straight for the firing range.
Pressing the butt of his rifle firmly against his shoulder, Liu Haitao’s eyes darkened as he fixed his gaze through the rain at the target ahead.
Heart rate affects sniping accuracy.
To be a qualified sniper, one must always maintain a calm mind and a heart as still as water, no matter how harsh or dangerous the environment.
Although they were rookies, having made it this far as members of the Canglang Special Operations Team’s reserve battalion meant they had real skills.
The sudden downpour earlier had unsettled everyone’s mindset, making their attitudes toward the test negative.
This had caused one missed shot after another.
But that perfect ten-ring shot a few minutes ago was like a divine anchor crashing down from the heavens, shattering the negative mood and greatly boosting morale.
Liu Haitao gripped his rifle tightly with both hands, concentrating, squinting his eyes, and holding his breath.
The whistle pierced the sky, and the target car began to move.
Under the watchful eyes of several, sniper Liu Haitao remained calm and steady, squeezing the trigger.
The bullet flew out, but he didn’t immediately release his index finger from the trigger guard. Instead, he paused there for a fraction of a second—
The white smoke spiraled delicately, and the target scoring device lit up through the rain… nine-ring!
“Good!” Wang Chengyi cheered loudly, pumping his fist.
The other snipers in formation were both surprised and genuinely happy for their comrade’s high nine-ring score, breaking into applause and cheers: “Taozi’s awesome!”
“Not bad, Liu Haitao! Hidden talents, huh!”
“Looks like the next Marksman Champion is you!”
Meanwhile, Liu Haitao was still a little dazed by the good score he’d personally shot. He glanced at his rifle, then at the target car not far away, eyes wide with surprise and joy.
Wang Chengyi strode over and slapped Liu Haitao’s shoulder with a broad smile: “Kid, you’ve got skill! In this weather, even I wouldn’t be sure about hitting nine-ring! Well done, well done! You made me proud!”
“Instructor, please don’t flatter me.” Still a big kid at heart, Liu Haitao was bashful from all the praise, scratching his head shyly as his dark face flushed slightly. “Honestly, I just shot randomly earlier— I don’t know how I hit nine-ring. Just luck.”
“Modest.”
Suddenly, a low, calm voice sounded behind them.
Wang Chengyi and Liu Haitao both froze, then turned around.
Lu Qiming strode over and stopped in front of Liu Haitao. He appraised the young sniper from head to toe and said casually, “You held your finger on the trigger guard for 0.3 seconds after pulling the trigger just now. Why?”
Liu Haitao immediately stood to attention and answered loudly, “Reporting, Squad Leader! I carefully observed your ten-ring shot earlier and noticed that the bullet trajectory had a kink-like adjustment at a certain distance from the target. The previous teammates missed because they didn’t detect the updraft at that point. So, I copied your method.”
The squad burst into surprised whispers again.
“Exactly! My bullet looked like it was heading straight for the target but suddenly drifted off at the last second and missed… Turns out there’s an updraft?”
“Taozi’s eyesight is incredible! He even noticed changes in Lu’s bullet trajectory—like a human camera!”
“That’s really impressive! Can’t help but admire!”
Lu Qiming nodded slowly, affirming Liu Haitao’s explanation. “Not bad.”
Then he noticed something and reached up to straighten the soldier’s slightly crooked name tag, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Liu Haitao, very good.”
Receiving praise from the Squad Leader made Liu Haitao’s heart soar.
But to maintain the image of a calm and mature leader, he steadied himself and replied with a straight back and composure: “Squad Leader, you overpraise me. I will keep working hard!”
After a moment, Lu Qiming stepped back, scanning the youthful faces in the formation with a grave tone:
“In modern warfare, snipers remain the key to victory by surprise. Sniping tactics emphasize precision combined with concealment. Precision requires your observation and calculation.”
“On the test range, missing once is acceptable— you can learn from it and try again.”
“But on the battlefield, you only get one chance. Any mistake can turn the tide and cause devastating losses. Understand?”
Several snipers immediately shouted in unison: “Understood!”
The test continued.
With a ten-ring and a nine-ring now on the scoreboard, the following snipers gradually found their rhythm and took turns on the firing line.
Eight-ring, seven-ring…
The target scoring device kept flashing notable scores, with no one else missing the target.
Qian Duoduo was positioned on the outer edge of the range.
In a large single-story building, two rooms were designated rest rooms for shooters to relax and change clothes.
The rest were small armories storing guns, ammunition, and related equipment. The iron doors were secured with combination locks; unauthorized persons were prohibited.
Qian Duoduo waited obediently outside the rest room, deliberately avoiding looking toward the armory.
The assessment area was settling into a steady pace. Soon, several locals in civilian clothes wearing work badges arrived, carrying cameras and video equipment.
Qian Duoduo raised her eyebrows, pondering, then realized these must be the government publicity department personnel Lu Qiming had mentioned.
Among them, the leader wore a white down jacket.
From a distance, Qian Duoduo couldn’t see the woman’s face clearly.
But judging by her flowing shoulder-length hair and refined, elegant aura, she was likely a young female.
A tall man in military uniform holding an umbrella led the way, with the white-jacketed woman following closely behind.
After a moment, she walked straight over to Lu Qiming’s side.
The girl was petite, so Lu Qiming had to tilt his head up to meet her gaze.
She spoke something quietly.
He lowered his eyes and listened silently, then nodded slightly in response.
The girl then turned back to give instructions to her colleagues. The group divided tasks and began filming parts of the sniper test footage…
Qian Duoduo watched quietly for a while, then turned and entered the room, settling on a slightly worn black sofa.
Checking her phone, it was 2:48 p.m.
At this hour, there was no chance to go back for a nap.
Qian Duoduo thought for a moment, then opened WeChat and found the small Cooking Squad group chat they had set up earlier.
Qian Duoduo: 【Comrades, are you all in the kitchen now?】
The first reply came from Squad Leader Cui Yurong.
Xiao Cui: 【Xiaohonghua and the others already went over there.】
Qian Duoduo asked curiously: 【What about you, Squad Leader Cui?】
Xiao Cui: 【I’m on bathroom duty, sneaking a peek at my phone.】
Xiao Cui: 【cover face laugh.jpg】
Qian Duoduo: 【Oh, oh.】
Qian Duoduo: 【Honghua and the others are prepping food so early?】
Xiao Cui: 【Yeah, there’s a bunch of stuff waiting to be washed.】
Qian Duoduo blinked in surprise, typing: 【At noon when I came to the kitchen, the dishes for tonight were already washed. Why wash again?】
Xiao Cui: 【The government people came to film some stuff. The boss thinks since they came all this way, it’s not easy, so they want us to stay and eat in the Mess Hall.】
Xiao Cui: 【Usually, our dinners are simple, but with guests, we have to add some dishes.】
Qian Duoduo: 【What dishes are you adding?】
Xiao Cui: 【We still had some duck legs and pork belly, so we decided to cook those.】
Qian Duoduo pondered briefly, then typed: 【Will Teacher Da Kuan come tonight?】
Xiao Cui: 【Didn’t hear Teacher Da Kuan say anything.】
Xiao Cui: 【But he was the one cooking at noon. Probably not coming tonight. I heard the group is having a meeting this afternoon to discuss Friday’s competition dishes.】
Qian Duoduo tentatively typed: 【So, I’m the head chef tonight?】
Xiao Cui: 【Sure, no problem!】
Xiao Cui: 【Teacher Qian, what are you planning to cook for everyone?】
Qian Duoduo replied: 【Spicy Braised Duck Leg and Steamed Pork with Rice Flour.】
Qian Duoduo: 【My cooking skills are limited; I only know some home-style dishes.】
Xiao Cui: 【Home-style dishes are great—they suit the general taste.】
Xiao Cui: 【Although Teacher Da Kuan’s Guoyan Cuisine is classy and uses premium ingredients, personally I think your Drunken Chicken Salad last time was tastier, haha.】
Though Qian Duoduo knew Cui Yurong’s words were supportive compliments, she still felt genuinely grateful.
Qian Duoduo: 【Thanks, Squad Leader Cui.】
Qian Duoduo: 【I’ll head over now.】
After sending the last message, Qian Duoduo turned off her screen and slipped her phone back into her pocket, then looked outside.
The characteristic of heavy rain was its sudden arrival and quick passing.
Now the rain had eased significantly compared to before.
This light rain wouldn’t soak her through.
Thinking this, Qian Duoduo stood up, ready to greet Lu Qiming before leaving.
Coincidentally, just as she stepped out of the rest room, a tall and upright figure in camouflage approached— Lu Qiming.
He had stood in the heavy rain for quite some time earlier, and his uniform, boots, and cap were drenched.
Annoyed by the dripping cap, he’d taken it off and pushed back his short black hair, revealing a pair of moist eyes cleansed by the rain.
“Captain Lu?” Qian Duoduo greeted with a smile, “Have you finished the assessment?”
“Mm.” Lu Qiming replied, wringing the wet cap in his hands.
Water dripped rhythmically through his long fingers.