Chapter Sixty: This is How Steel is Made Eleven

  Five marksmen loaded their bullets into the chamber, entered their own positions, and with a confident expression, sniping targets within 400 meters was completely suspenseless. If they couldn't even do this, it would be better to just go home and farm instead.

  The instructor said in a flat voice that was almost devoid of any emotion, "When I say start, you can fire at will and shoot as many rounds as you want."

  Five people held their breath, focused on Chen Jianfeng, and entered a sniping state. They knew in their hearts that this was a test, and the slightly tense mood made their palms slowly sweat.

  Chen Jianfeng walked up to a distance of 300 meters. The instructor lowered his voice and whispered in his throat: "Start!"

  At the moment when five people's fingers pulled the trigger, Chen Jianfeng suddenly fell to the ground. In the instant he fell, his legs fiercely kicked off the ground, and with this force, he moved forward seven meters in a snake-like motion and speed. All five bullets missed their mark.

  Just as everyone was re-aiming, Chen Jianfeng suddenly jumped up from the ground and charged forward like an arrow leaving a bowstring. Player 72 was the first to get him in his sights and was about to pull the trigger when Chen Jianfeng suddenly fell backwards. With a "bang", the sniper rifle shook in his hand. Player 72 immediately heard his smoke bomb emit a "hissing" sound, and he looked up incredulously to see red smoke rising from his head. He reluctantly stood up.

  Until he actually sniped a counter-sniper who could make various military evasive maneuvers into instinct, Zhan Peng was frustrated to find that the bullets he fired at a speed of thirty rounds per minute always hit where his opponent had just run past. The No. 68 in the adjacent position had already exclaimed: "My god, his movements are too fast!"

  At the same time as firing the first shot, Chen Jianfeng rolled to one side and then leapt forward. In mid-air, he suddenly curled up into a ball shape, using the inertia from his dash to rapidly roll seven or eight meters away. Just as everyone was staring in shock and forgot to open fire, the sniper rifle in his hand fired again.

  "Instructor shouted: 'Number 68, stand up! You're dead!'"

  Chen Jianfeng continuously rolled on the ground, performing various military actions that were so fast they left people speechless and so complex they left people stunned. Each of his movements lasted no more than one second.

  From a distance, his body sometimes resembled a nimble cat, sometimes an agile ape, and sometimes a rubber ball with great elasticity. He seemed to be able to guess the thoughts of the snipers, and every time he managed to escape their lock-on at the most critical moment.

  Zhan Peng and others were played by him to the point of being dizzy, with guns moving back and forth non-stop. Even the instructor who was watching from the sidelines had his mouth agape, although it wasn't his first time watching such a demonstration, but he could feel the difference each time, every time more difficult to imitate than the last, simply because the demonstrator's military skills had reached a state of perfection that left one in awe.

  Chen Jianfeng suddenly sprang up, half-kneeling and holding the sniper rifle, pulling the trigger. He didn't even look at the result of the shot, quickly adjusting the muzzle, his movements were so smooth and swift that it seemed like a flash before one's eyes, his eyes, scope and target hadn't yet formed a straight line when he pulled the trigger again.

  "Number 46, Number 92, stand up!" The instructor shouted again.

  Chen Jianfeng had already rolled past several sniper golden points set by Zhan Peng, who was closely following his figure in the scope. Suddenly, Chen Jianfeng's body slightly tilted, as if he slipped, but immediately recovered his balance and sprinting speed. At this moment, Zhan Peng seized the opportunity and pulled the trigger continuously. However, Chen Jianfeng made several consecutive flips in the air, and while his body was still in mid-air, he turned back and fired a shot.

  Zhan Peng's hopes were thoroughly dashed, and he slowly got up. He couldn't help but think: such a fierce and powerful, all-capable and versatile sniper, who was his nemesis?

  The snipers gathered with a dejected expression, the feeling of helplessness that came from using all their might yet not even touching their opponent was a huge blow to each sniper's over-inflated confidence. But at the same time, this was also a necessary step for a sniper to surpass themselves and reach a whole new level!

  Chen Jianfeng slowly walked back, his face wearing an expression of nonchalance, but as he stood at the front of the team, every cell in his body was filled with two words... Strongest! Facing such a truly strong person who emitted sharp blades from all over his body, the snipers couldn't help but hold their breath. It wasn't until much later that they slowly let out a mouthful of stale air that had been pent up in their chests for a long time.

  "The battlefield environment is different, and the situation changes in an instant. What I want to teach you is not to imitate my actions, these military evasive maneuvers can only change with the battlefield environment, it requires a clever, flexible and adaptable brain to command! Chen Jianfeng gazed at them, his voice slowly saying: "What I want you to understand is that in special operations, your body must be highly mobile at all times to maintain maneuverability, and unconditionally kill any suspicious target without allowing any mistakes to exist! This is the essence of special operations!"

  "Report!" Zhan Peng finally couldn't hold it in anymore, he had to throw out the questions that had been hidden in his heart, or else he would never be able to sleep well again.

  Chen Jianfeng gently patted off the dust on his clothes and asked in a calm tone, "You want to know who can defeat me, right?"

  Zhan Peng originally was always choosing his words carefully, but in an instant, his face turned bright red. The embarrassment of being seen through made him feel extremely awkward, and he could only honestly admit: "Yes."

  Chen Jianfeng did not answer immediately, but thought for a moment before speaking: "Within the range of 400 to 1000 meters, both I and Jindai have a hit probability of 100%, we will both perish. Within the range of 1500 to 1800 meters, regardless of any terrain, my independent combat hit probability is 90%, while Jindai has always been stable at above 95%, so I will lose."

  "Is Jin Da also a sniper?" The five probationary snipers exchanged disbelieving glances and began to whisper among themselves.

  "Have you heard of the ultra-long-range sniper? Jin Da created a myth, in a single-soldier combat environment on the battlefield, he successfully sniped a target 4,000 meters away with an M82A1 anti-material rifle, and it was a one-shot kill."

  Zhan Peng was shocked, only the strongest and most determined soldiers could leave their team during a mission, fight alone on the battlefield surrounded by danger, and achieve their goals.

  He stared at Chen Jianfeng's expression, as calm as a rock, unable to discern any emotions, and secretly thought: "The textbook says that the effective range of the M82A1 is only 1850 meters. How can it be used to snipe a target 4,000 meters away?! It turns out that Jin Da is indeed the legendary sniper who doesn't need an observer, can fight alone, and is known as the 'Grim Reaper' on the battlefield!"

  Chen Jianfeng patted Zhang Peng's shoulder and said in a gentle tone, "If you can train hard and thoroughly understand and master this essence, one day you will be able to defeat me! As long as you work hard, anyone has the possibility of success. I look forward to the day when you defeat me!"

  Facing Chen Jianfeng's encouraging gaze, Zhan Peng only felt his chest burning with scorching flames! He looked at Chen Jianfeng with the most respectful eyes, and in his heart, he had an epiphany: The person in front of him already represented the world's most elite soldiers, what a dazzling honor it was!

  In an instant, Zhan Peng found his life goal. He wanted to become a soldier like Chen Jianfeng and was willing to work hard for it all his life.

  In the following days, Chen Jianfeng arranged the daily training of the five snipers in an orderly manner. Although he only came to give simple instructions every week, the sniping level of the five snipers had greatly improved.

  Zhan Peng and his comrades, in addition to training the same subjects as other comrades-in-arms, also practiced aiming guns for two hours, experiencing trajectories under different bullets, distances, temperatures, and environments.

  In sniper training, there is an item called psychological quality training. A person is locked in a black room of less than ten square meters. Every day, someone will pass food and water through a small window on the door at regular intervals, and then take away the empty bowl after a while. Without knowing the time, without anyone to talk to, without companionship, unable to hear birds chirping or insects buzzing, not even able to hear the wind, just like this for 10 days, 8 days.

  Zhan Peng was locked in the black room for the first time, and in less than three days, he was almost driven mad. The extreme loneliness and desolation were like a poisonous snake gnawing at his heart. Even the person who came to deliver food ignored him, as if he were air.

  He stared blankly with a pair of big eyes, gazing futilely at the dark and boundless space, until this moment, he finally understood that in this world, there was another kind of terrible horror called loneliness. He finally understood why Chen Jianfeng said it was a lonely and long road.

  He missed his comrades, the scorching training grounds, he wanted to cry, laugh and scream loudly, but these futile struggles were of no use, and in the end, they were all abandoned with a bitter smile.

  He began to learn how to relax himself, sitting cross-legged on the ground, repeatedly recalling Chen Jianfeng's demonstrated anti-sniper tactics. When he got tired of sitting, he stood up and exercised, doing push-ups, sit-ups... any movement that could get him moving, so as not to fall into a daze. Gradually, he summed up a truth: keeping himself busy made it easy to forget loneliness.

  Since we can't change the current situation, let's try to enjoy it!

  He didn't know how many days he had been locked up. The door was finally opened, and when he walked out of the dark room, it was midnight outside.

  The instructor stood outside the door, his face stern and expressionless, asking him: "How does it feel?"

  "It's nothing, I was a bit uncomfortable at first, but then it got better." Zhan Peng's expression was very calm and he didn't seem to be overjoyed by his sudden release.

  The instructor looked at him carefully, and in his quiet and deep black eyes, he saw a kind of introverted spirit. On this young man's body, the instructor saw a kind of ease and unruliness emanating from the depths of his heart when facing loneliness. "Congratulations to you, kid, you've passed this level."

  Three days later, Zhan Peng received a notice and packed his bags to report to the sniper team of the Hunting Leopard Brigade.

  Among the thirty trainees, Zhan Peng was the first to be allowed to descend. As soon as the news spread, the trainees were in an uproar. In just a short while, the dormitory entrance was crowded with trainees who came to see him off, their eyes revealing envy and expectation, as well as confusion and perplexity about the unpredictable future.

  The confinement has been lifted, and Qi Yunfei, who had a major demerit on his back, was no longer as arrogant and frivolous as he was before the confinement. He stood beside Zhan Peng, helping him carry a basin, with a hint of loss in his expression. He had already taken Zhan Peng as his backbone, and without this spiritual pillar, he didn't know if he could still handle the high-intensity training.

  Chu Heng stood on the other side of Zhan Peng, his eyes blinking repeatedly as if he was about to shed tears. After three months of high-intensity training and a tense life, he had already regarded this steady companion as an elder brother, wanting to hear his opinion on everything. Now that good brother was leaving, it made him feel an overwhelming urge to cry.

  Zhan Peng patted the backpack on his back, stretched out his arms and hugged the shoulders of two companions, "Don't be sad, I'll wait for you in the Cheetah Squad, we will definitely meet again."

  Chu Heng lowered his head, his lips moving for half a day, and said with a full sense of grievance: "I don't know if I can hold on until that day, or if I will be eliminated in one of the assessments."

  Zhan Peng patted his shoulder and said firmly, "As the ancient saying goes, 'The heavens are vigorous, and a gentleman strives to improve himself without ceasing!' Everything depends on oneself. As long as you work hard and have no regrets, you will definitely achieve your goals!" He turned around and looked at Qi Yunfei, saying in a deep voice, "Change that careless attitude of yours. This is not the time for romance. Intensify your training and strive to report to the Cheetah Squad as soon as possible!"

  Qī Yún Fēi gazed seriously into his eyes, this was the most serious he had ever been in his life, "Don't worry, I will definitely come find you soon."

  "Alright! It's settled!" Zhan Peng stretched out his palm, and Qi Yunfei and Chu Heng grasped it tightly.

  The training camp sent a car to take Zhan Peng to the sniper team, where he underwent a month-long physical and mental quality training. After that, Zhan Peng received a notice to prepare for the sniper's single-soldier long-distance exercise.

  The mission is simple: solo infantry walking in the original forest, finding five supply points according to the map, and finding the final task target left for him at the fifth supply point.

  In the late afternoon, he was airdropped into a primitive forest by helicopter. His backpack contained only a map, a compass, night vision goggles, binoculars, a two-kilogram compressed biscuit, a canteen of water, enough salt for three days, a coil of paracord, a machete, a pistol, a sniper rifle, a signal gun, and everything else was simulated weight.