Ah, the poor recruit, Qin Fen, forced to forego bracing the butt of his rifle against his shoulder to minimize the recoil shock to his body due to his fractured right arm,” the commentator’s voice held a faint tone of regret.

“Recruits, please secure your weapons and take cover.”

The referee’s voice slowly emerged in the ear pieces of the assembled recruits: “We are beginning the countdown; the battle starts in ten seconds. Any participant sighted continuing to search for enemies before this time will be deemed cheating and disqualified.”

“Ten… nine… eight… three… two… one!”

The battle commenced!

Three recruits immediately deployed their anti-sniper gear, aiming toward locations they had previously scanned and where they anticipated enemy presence.

Bang!

The cover was punctured by dummy rounds, and the three recruits simultaneously recoiled backward, simulated blood blossoming across their chests as the munitions detonated.

“Ugh… ugh… ugh…”

Three muffled groans escaped the throats of the recruits as they rolled on the ground, releasing their anti-sniper gear. Even though they were dummy rounds, at this distance, firing a sniper tool still carried considerable impact.

While it wouldn't kill or break bones, a single shot would redden the pectoral muscles, making breathing difficult for a short period—not an unexpected outcome.

A dark opening.

The recruits' sniper competition had just begun, and three were immediately hit. The Commander faction demonstrated strength equal to the grand pronouncements they had made before the match.

“African Military Region Recruit No. 76, Barry, hit and withdrawn from the competition. East Asian Military Region Recruit No. 39, Zhao Zhi Qiu, hit and withdrawn…”

The numbers of the fallen recruits, both comrades and rivals, echoed in the others’ headsets.

The few recruits near the fallen ones froze. Was that speed too fast? Were all the Commanders snipers? The speed displayed by those three recruits moments ago was that of professional snipers, and their movements were the most standard form of concealed movement. How did those Commanders pinpoint their positions behind cover so accurately?

The recruits listening through their headsets also stiffened—was the pace truly this rapid? Three recruits were eliminated right at the start?

The three fallen recruits stood up dejectedly, hands on their hips, shaking their heads repeatedly. The defeat felt utterly baffling. There had been no one behind the predicted cover, and until the moment they were 'killed,' they had no idea where the bullets originated from.

Just as the three dejected recruits stood up, one recruit, who had remained motionless behind cover, suddenly felt a searing pain erupt across his back. His body pitched forward onto the ground; his back was already a vivid crimson, and a crisp gunshot sounded in the distance.

“African Recruit…”

The announcement of another recruit being knocked out of the contest sounded over the headset once more.

Qin Fen licked his slightly dry lips, a faint smile touching his eyes: “A little interesting. Facing these Commanders as opponents, it seems…”

A gunshot rang out from nearly four hundred meters behind him, followed immediately by an announcement over the headset: “Captain Lati Ci, whose true identity is a Captain Officer, has been eliminated, achieving a result of eliminating two recruits.”

“My God! They actually hit him!” the commentator roared excitedly. “Did you all see that? That last shot came from the furthest shooter, the East Asian female soldier!”

Military enthusiasts stared blankly at the replay on the small screen: A flash! A shot! Back behind cover! In just one second, that furthest East Asian female soldier accomplished all of this! If you divide the flash, the shot, and the return to cover equally into three parts, the East Asian female soldier only had 0.33 seconds for the shooting phase.

That duration was barely enough time to pull the trigger. Where did she find the time to search, aim, and lock on? Did she fire that shot blindly? How much luck would that require? A lower probability than winning the lottery grand prize, surely?

Captain Lati Ci, from the Americas, sat stunned on the ground, staring blankly at the hole shattered in the rock before him.

The third time he had dared to expose his rifle from behind cover, before he could even pull the trigger, he was struck by a bullet that flew from an unknown location.

“How is this possible?” Lati Ci touched the red marking on his chest. That last shot gave him absolutely no sensation of being targeted or even perceived; it was as if the bullet had been delivered by God himself.

No lock-on? Lati Ci scratched his head. Can one shoot without a lock-on? No! He must have been locked on! It’s just that he managed to completely conceal the aura of being targeted! Does this batch of recruits actually contain such a talent?

The other Commanders lightly tapped their earpieces, wondering if their equipment had malfunctioned. Captain Lati Ci was hit? He had participated in the recruit competition three times before and had never been struck. Especially in the second competition, he was relentlessly fired upon by seven sniper recruits simultaneously, yet he escaped and counter-attacked, eliminating all seven.

Such an expert being eliminated right at the start? Was he careless? No! His concealment before firing was flawless! Who hit him?

The Commanders’ minds simultaneously conjured the image of Qin Fen. Could it be him?

“True identity is…”

The sound of gunfire drifted toward the Commanders’ positions, and the voice that had not finished narrating in the headsets spoke again.

“Captain Yang Jun Wei has been eliminated, achieving a combat record of eliminating one recruit…”

The Commanders’ eyes widened simultaneously. In all previous sniper segments of the recruit competition, a maximum of two Commanders had been eliminated, and those instances occurred only near the end due to carelessness. Today, right at the beginning, they had already lost two. Would the record for the Commanders being "eliminated" be set today?

Qin Fen quietly watched Lin Ling in the distance behind him. After several days of competition, this woman had finally erupted.

Two consecutive ultra-long-range shots had eliminated two Commanders.

“Impressive,” Qin Fen sighed and nodded. Even in peak physical condition, he couldn't achieve such rapid firing at the distance Lin Ling maintained. Her skill in sniping truly warranted the competition championship.

The military enthusiasts were already stupefied. If Lin Ling’s first shot could be dismissed as a fluke, how could the second shot be explained? It was equally swift, accurate, and seemingly fired without needing to aim.

“It seems the championship for this segment might…”

The commentator’s words were cut off as a burst of amazed cheering erupted from the audience stands.

Lin Ling fired her third shot in the sniper segment, and the third member of the Commander faction instantly fell. The recruits had fired a total of three shots, and three Commanders had courteously withdrawn from the match.

The recruits had fired only three shots, magically breaking the standing record of two eliminated Commanders held by the Commander contingent for many sessions!

The Commanders were all stunned. Three of their ranks wiped out in the blink of an eye? What kind of terrifying recruit was this? Judging by the sound of the shots, they were not just far—they were extremely far!

If this continued… the Commanders’ faces grew grim. If the match ended like this, they would lose all face! First, eliminate those troublesome other recruits, and then concentrate fire on that mysterious sniper!

“Gentlemen, in the history of the Recruit Competition, the Commander faction has always treated it as a game, leaving some dignity for the recruits,” the European-descended Commander opened the headset communication system. “Therefore, there has never been a case where all recruits were wiped out. But today, we have already lost three comrades. For the honor of our Commander lineage, we are going to do one thing: wipe out the recruit faction entirely.”

“Yes! Wipe them out!”

More than a dozen Commanders responded with deep voices. The anti-sniper gear in their hands bared their true fangs. Gunfire erupted incessantly; it no longer resembled a sniper duel but a full-scale siege! Instantly, the recruit side began falling one after another.

The Commander faction had gone bloodthirsty; for the honor of their lineage, they must find that hidden sniper!

“Oh my God! The Commanders are too ruthless…”

The commentator’s shout was immediately drowned out by a wave of unified, excited cheers from the audience.

The true focus of the match—the injured soldier Qin Fen, who had remained out of action due to his injury—finally moved on the massive projection screen! He lunged out from cover, clutching his anti-sniper equipment with his left hand, dropping to the ground, and rapidly pulling the trigger—once! Twice! Thrice…

The military enthusiasts watched dumbfounded at Qin Fen’s method of attack, which violated standard sniper protocol, while the screams of tens of thousands of spectators never ceased.

What is a sniper? They are venomous snakes hidden in the shadows! Like ghosts, they emerge from some dark corner with their life-taking sniper weapons, deliver a fatal blow, and the instant they claim an enemy's life, they drift back into an unknown, shadowy recess like a specter.

One shot, then concealment—that is the true traditional tactic of a sniper.

However, Qin Fen on the battlefield followed none of the traditional sniper methods. He braced his rifle on the ground, used his left eye to scan and aim through the scope, pulled the trigger, and then continued doing the same thing, seemingly unaware of the concept of taking cover.

The spectators roared with excitement. Qin Fen’s tactics violated standard sniper doctrine but perfectly matched the combat style he had always projected in their minds.

That is, charging forward like a tank, like mobile armor! Pushing aside every obstacle in his path!

Fire! Fire! Fire! Firing incessantly!

Members of the Commander faction were hit and fell, hit and fell, cooperating as if they had rehearsed with Qin Fen beforehand…

In a flash, four shots passed…

The Commanders, who had been hiding motionless, realized that this continuous firing individual might be the one who fired the initial shots. The moment he fired, the targeted individuals felt absolutely no sense of being locked onto or aimed at!

The fifth shot rang out, and the Commander faction finally identified the shooter: Recruit Qin Fen, positioned at an extreme distance! He was still prone on the ground, his muzzle aimed at a new target!

At this moment, the Commander targeted by the muzzle suddenly realized that if his eyes hadn't seen Qin Fen aiming from afar, he wouldn't have felt the slightest trace of being targeted at all.

The fifth and sixth shots rang out simultaneously…

Lin Ling had moved…

For more novels, visit storyread.net.