Chapter 66: Who Do You Look Down On?
The truck shook violently back and forth, and then suddenly braked. The back panel was lowered with a crash. A person in a ghillie suit, whose face could not be seen, ordered everyone to get off in a deep voice.
Zhou Wanfeng jumped off, her eyes alertly scanning the surroundings in the dark.
One truck was carrying four squads. After getting off, they lined up in their squad formations.
Another person in a ghillie suit jumped down from the driver’s cabin. As he moved, he was like a swaying shadow, almost blending in with the night and the environment.
The two of them exchanged a familiar hand signal.
All they heard was one of them taking away two of the squads. Liu Shupei had deliberately switched places with Jin Hongjie this time. Behind her was Zhou Wanfeng.
Standing on the spot, they could clearly hear the chirping of crickets and katydids in the grass, one soft, one loud. Their eyes were constantly looking around, at the forest, the knee-high withered grass, and the scattered, protruding small hills.
When everyone saw the environment they were in, their hearts were in turmoil. It was dark enough here, with mountains, trees, and cover. It was definitely an excellent natural place for hiding and ambushing.
On the truck, everyone had been curious and expectant. Now they all knew that they were about to face an assessment, or an unknown exercise. It was tense and exciting. Their hearts were in their throats, and they couldn’t help but open their mouths and take a deep breath.
They were full of excitement, their fists clenched tightly, wishing they could rush into the forest in front and bravely kill the enemy.
In their minds, they had already imagined a blockbuster movie, with themselves as the main character, eager to achieve great things and make a name for themselves.
They stood there for a long time, until a sharp whistle came from a great distance.
The ghillie suit, who was standing with his back to them, did a standard about-face. In an instant, everyone straightened their chests and held their breath.
“The three-month new recruit training period is about to end. What you are doing here is both an exercise and an assessment…”
Then came a simple description of the rules of the game: you are fighting a very formidable enemy. The enemy is too stubborn. Your mission is to reconnoiter the environment and successfully pass through this mountain forest. Your powerful enemy also wants to occupy this place, so you might run into the enemy’s advance party. Protect yourselves and, at the same time, take out the other side.
“Reporting! May I ask if weapons will be distributed?”
“Use what you can find.”
“Reporting! May I ask how casualties will be calculated?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
“Reporting! May I ask how many enemies there are?”
“No comment.”
“Reporting! May I ask where the other two squads went?”
“They went in through another entrance. If you’re lucky, you might run into them.”
“Reporting! Are our two squads a team?”
“If you are willing.”
The stopped truck suddenly started. The ghillie suit suddenly roared, “The combat assessment has officially begun!” With that, he did a one-handed vault onto the truck, preparing to go back the way he came.
The two squads of students were suddenly standing there, looking around. They increasingly felt that there seemed to be figures running in front.
“What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and go in! If you don’t, you’ll all fail!” The other ghillie suit personnel came back and saw that they hadn’t gone in yet, and immediately scolded them loudly.
The two squads immediately quickened their pace. The moment they entered the forest, they immediately stopped and turned to look back at the spot where they had been standing. It was already blurry and unclear.
The female cadets were consciously standing together. The cadets from the neighboring squad were also the same. There seemed to be a clear dividing line in the middle.
Hu Yinping’s natural personality trait was to stand out. She was polite and courteous. If this were an opponent, she might have greeted them first.
“Um, let’s each have an internal discussion and see if we want to act together,” she said, then turned and called for her own people to move to the left.
She didn’t know why, but the moment she entered the forest, she inexplicably felt a sense of crisis everywhere. She always felt that there was someone hiding behind a big tree or a rock, and that if she wasn’t careful, they would sneak up on her.
The twelve of them looked around, their expressions varied. They looked at each other with great trust. In the whole forest, only the twelve of them were their own people.
Liu Shupei signaled for everyone to squat down. She glanced at Zhou Wanfeng. Without even speaking, Zhou Wanfeng had already turned her back. She was on guard against a surprise attack from all sides. If there was any danger, she would be the first line of defense, and she also had the ability to stop a sneak attack.
“What do you guys think? Do you want the two squads to act together? Let’s have a show of hands,” Liu Shupei said, looking at everyone.
“We can be together. There’s strength in numbers. If there’s danger, we can face it together. It’s an extra layer of protection.”
“No. A large group will make a lot of noise and attract attention. With so many people, it’s easy for the people in the dark to concentrate their fire and take us all out.”
“Everyone, listen to me first. I’ll give a simple summary. Our goal is said to be reconnaissance, but in reality, it’s to pass through this mountain forest. There will definitely be obstacles, and also ambushes and enemies lurking in the dark. It’s both an assessment and a combat exercise, which means that there are assessment contents in the combat exercise. This was not specified, so we’ll probably have to figure it out ourselves. Let’s assume that we are a small team that has been separated from the main force on the battlefield. We know that there is a small group of enemies in front, but in order to join the main force, we have to pass through the enemy’s blockade. Something like that. It was also said just now to protect ourselves first, and then take out the other side. That is to say, protecting ourselves is the priority. The other meaning is that the other side’s primary mission is to take us out.
“In other words, from the moment we enter the mountain forest, we are in danger. There might already be people looking for us everywhere. Also, on the way here in the truck, I secretly timed it. We ran for five kilometers, and then it took about eight or nine minutes to get here. The truck will go back and forth to pick up the next wave, which will take about 15-20 minutes. Before that, someone has already come in. But the forest is too quiet now, which is a little abnormal. Either they’re hiding and don’t dare to make a sound, or they’re too far away to be heard, or they were all wiped out in those 15-20 minutes.”
Liu Shupei’s eyes would occasionally look up at Zhou Wanfeng. She was both excited and nervous at this moment. It was as if just looking at her would make her feel a lot calmer.
Looking at her quiet teammates, she took a deep breath. “But I personally lean towards the latter, a total wipeout,” she said. There was not much noise here. On the contrary, apart from the rustling of the wind and grass, it was too quiet. If someone shouted, it should be able to travel very far. It would definitely not be this quiet.
“How is that possible?” Jin Hongjie also knew that she had a loud voice. She covered her mouth and said in a very small voice. “There were a lot of people before, right? How could they have been wiped out? To be wiped out in such a short time, what kind of people are hiding in the dark?”
“I feel that since we’ve gotten through the three months of training, if we’re eliminated here without doing anything, I’ll feel sorry for myself for having persevered. So, even if we are wiped out in the end, I hope to let the people hiding in the dark know how formidable we are,” Xia Mengmeng said, voicing her thoughts.
Hu Yinping and Lin Sha raised their hands in agreement. “Me too.”
Zhou Wanfeng had her back to everyone and suddenly said, “The squad opposite has left.”
They turned to look. It was clear that they were planning to move as a squad.
“Let’s do it ourselves.”
Liu Shupei signaled for everyone to stand up and took the initiative to ask Zhou Wanfeng, “Wanfeng, do you have any ideas?”
“Not for now. You arrange the formation. I’ll be on the outermost side,” she had just finished speaking when the sound of a fight suddenly came from a distance. “Ambush! Run!” The shout was filled with carelessness and regret.
At this moment, without any command, everyone moved at the sound and rushed towards the sound.
The ground was not flat, with protruding tree roots, rocks, and pits from the rain. And it was dark, so the view was hazy. The occasional swaying of a branch would send a chill down their spines.
Zhou Wanfeng was not running fast. She had been maintaining a distance of a few meters.
The sound of the fight just now, they hadn’t seen anything. Everyone stopped and tried to look around, panting with their mouths open, feeling that there was something tense in the air.
“Ahhh!” Xu Yanqiu cried out, pointing into the distance. “I just saw a figure jump over there! I didn’t see it wrong! It was a black human-shaped shadow! It was just like a special effects shot in a movie! The movement was so fast! It jumped and hid behind that rock! There’s someone there! Really!” Xu Yanqiu tried her best to prove that there was someone behind the rock in the distance. She had really seen it.
Liu Shupei bit her lower lip, in a dilemma.
“What if it’s a trap, to deliberately lure us over?” someone questioned.
“Let’s not worry about it for now. Our main mission is to pass through this mountain forest. As long as they don’t attack us, we won’t take the initiative to go over. That way, it will be difficult for them to lure us,” Jin Hongjie said. Everyone exchanged a look and tacitly agreed. They all ignored the rock that Xu Yanqiu had mentioned. The group of them lined up and continued to walk forward. Even if there was someone behind the rock, if they didn’t go over, unless you attacked them directly.
Everyone was now holding their breath and walking forward with their full attention. The sound of their shoes on the dry branches and leaves was exceptionally clear. It wasn’t until the sound had faded away that they could no longer be heard.
Behind the rock that Xu Yanqiu had mentioned, about a minute later, a black shadow seemed to be clinging to the shady side of the rock. “Chirp, chirp, chirp,” the sound of a gray-headed sparrow in the forest. Three seconds later, a few other bird calls came.
Three more people came from other places, hiding in the dark, walking through the grass and behind the trees. If you weren’t careful, you would think you were seeing things.
“This group of cadets is too timid. I thought I could lure them over and take them all out in one go. Now I have to go to the trouble of chasing after them.”
“Don’t be too much. This is only the first stage. Let the cadets have some fun. You’re sending them away as soon as they come in.”
“Their new recruit company asked us to help. They couldn’t train any decent cadets themselves, and they want me to go easy on them? Impossible. I just want to see the summary tomorrow, when Qin Zhe sees that there are no decent results. Basically, they were all wiped out at the first stage. The ones who slipped through won’t be able to pass the second stage. That will be a good look. It’s just that I didn’t expect Qin Zhe to be able to apply for good equipment this time. It’s good to have someone on top.”
“Stop talking. Let’s go and eliminate a few more before the next wave comes.”
“Alright. Pincer attack. I’ll surround them from behind. You go left, and you go right.”
The wind blew, the trees moved, and the withered grass swayed, the rustling sound endless.
Zhou Wanfeng’s whole body was pressed against the ground, blending in with the darkness and the earth. When she saw the black shadow getting closer and closer to her hiding spot, her fingers slowly dug into the ground. Thanks to the many days of good sun, the ground was mixed with grass clippings and dust. She grabbed a handful in her palm and clenched her fist.
Sha Shaoxing was preparing to chase after the female cadets in front. He strode forward, his steps light, minimizing the noise as much as possible.
Suddenly, he saw a slender figure on each side of him, suddenly getting up from the ground and rushing at him in the blink of an eye. “I’ll f*ck…”
He was about to curse subconsciously.
Fortunately, he was well-trained. He dodged, but the other person’s attack was more fierce and fast than he had expected. They had no intention of letting him pass.
Move for move, punch for punch, they were really fighting.
Not a single word was said, only the sound of their fists and feet clashing.
After a few rounds, the person who had come attacked with a fist, and couldn’t help but laugh. “I have to take back what I said before. Qin Zhe can still train some decent soldiers. At the very least, your courage is commendable…”
Before he could finish, “Damn it, my eyes! What is this… pfft, pfft.”
Zhou Wanfeng had not dared to hold the mud in her hand for too long, for fear that her palm would sweat and it would get wet. Taking advantage of the other person’s approach, she had thrown it at his face. Just as he was talking, a good portion of it had gone into his mouth.
His eyes were blinded, and he had lost the initiative.
Zhou Wanfeng grabbed his wrist, turned, and twisted it back. With a sudden throw, thud, Sha Shaoxing cried out in his heart, I’m finished.
But the other person was clearly afraid that he still had a counterattack. It seemed that she was preparing to break his arm. He was immediately startled. “Hey, hey! Treat prisoners of war well! Treat prisoners of war well! Is this how Qin Zhe taught you? To break people’s arms right away?”
It was a good thing he had spoken in time. The other person was so ruthless. What kind of cadet was this? Even a veteran was not so brutal.
“No, no! Don’t throw me either! I have a wet sponge on my waist! You can just squeeze it and smear it on my face, and I’ll be ‘dead’! It will leave a mark,” seeing that the other person seemed to want to knock him out, Sha Shaoxing took the initiative to bring out the “death” marker.
After being smeared, Sha Shaoxing sat on the ground and didn’t move. He was a dead man now.
“Hey, did Qin Zhe teach you to be so sneaky? You’re even using dirty tricks in a fight?” If it weren’t for the fact that he had been blinded, he would have wanted to play with the other person a little longer. Her skills were not bad. He said as he stuck out his tongue and rubbed his eyes.
Zhou Wanfeng kicked the “dead man” sitting on the ground and said coldly, “Get up. Take off your clothes.”
She noticed the clothes on the other person. They were clearly easier to hide in.
“Since you’re a ‘dead man,’ your mouth should be shut. Please strictly abide by the rules.”
Sha Shaoxing took off his outer ghillie suit-like modified version and asked as he was taking it off, “Hey, what’s your name?”
“When did you ambush here? Your team didn’t just use this as a ploy to wait for me, did they?”
Zhou Wanfeng put on the clothes. She was 172cm tall according to her recent physical examination. Wearing the training uniform and the ghillie suit, she did not look thin. And in the dark forest, the view was already blurry, so it was very difficult to tell.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp,” Zhou Wanfeng tried to imitate a bird call. Sha Shaoxing was stunned. “Hey, are you a cadet this year? You’re not an imposter, are you?” Among the previous waves of cadets, there was not a single one who was so experienced and so ruthless.
Zhou Wanfeng stared at the person sitting on the ground.
Even though he couldn’t see the other person’s gaze and face, Sha Shaoxing probably knew what this person wanted to do. She wanted to knock him out, for fear that he would secretly report.
“I’m a soldier. A loss is a loss. I still have that much magnanimity. Who do you look down on?” he said, wearing his training vest and walking out. The more he walked, the angrier he got. He muttered, “I’m finished this time. I’ve capsized in a ditch. Qin Zhe will laugh himself to death.”
In front, Liu Shupei and the others had not gone far. While Xu Yanqiu was desperately explaining, Zhou Wanfeng had already quietly pointed out the position to them.
They understood in an instant. Jin Hongjie’s voice was not deliberately lowered. Some people had not quite understood at first, but after walking for a distance, they all got down and lay on the ground, not daring to breathe.
It wasn’t until they heard the sound of fighting and talking from the other side that they still lay there, not moving. They could see a black shadow in the distance, a few meters away, moving forward. The one who was chasing them probably thought they had gone far.
“It’s settled,” a familiar cold voice rang out. Only then did everyone get up. But all they saw was Zhou Wanfeng in a new set of gear. They were all startled, but in the blink of an eye, they all understood what Zhou Wanfeng was planning to do.