Chapter 24: World-Class Thermal Imaging

"What's wrong, Brother Yuan? Is there a situation?"

Li Erniu, pressed to the ground by Qin Yuan, looked on with a puzzled expression. Yet, even he could sense that something was indeed amiss.

"Not sure, I just have a bad feeling about this!" Qin Yuan shook his head. After a brief silence, he pulled Li Erniu away without drawing any attention. They didn't relax their guard until they had ventured hundreds of meters deep into the jungle.

*Ding-dong!*

Just then, a crisp system notification sounded. Qin Yuan paused, wondering if the system was about to issue another mission.

"Ding-dong! System mission issued: Eliminate the Wild Wolf Squad! Reward: Unlock a new inventory slot!"

"Holy... you've got to be kidding me! You want me to eliminate the Wild Wolf Squad?" Qin Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. This system was truly ruthless. It had just forced him to run thirty kilometers, and now it wanted him to take down the Wild Wolf Squad?

"The Wild Wolf Squad is a special forces unit. They might be a notch below the Lightning Commando, but to the average soldier, encountering them is a nightmare." Qin Yuan sighed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "However... with my perfect-level marksmanship and terrifying physical attributes, it’s not impossible to defeat them!"

Qin Yuan didn't hold high hopes for taking out the Wild Wolf Squad, but if it were possible, he was determined to complete the task. After all, it was worth an entire inventory slot! Currently, he only had one slot available, and he couldn't afford to waste it. Without extra slots, he lacked a sense of security—something he was unwilling to accept.

"Brother Yuan, if we go through the woods, will we still be able to catch up with the main force?" After walking for a while, Li Erniu finally couldn't help but ask, his mind still set on the main unit.

Qin Yuan smiled. The silly fellow still didn't realize this was a military exercise; he actually thought they were in a real war. "We will!" Qin Yuan replied, not wanting to explain the details about the main force. After all, he intended to use this large-scale military exercise to make a name for himself. And, of course, the most important thing was the system slot.

"Got it, Brother Yuan! I trust you!" Li Erniu beamed, his face lighting up.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle...*

Suddenly, a subtle, hair-raising slithering sound emerged!

"Ah! A snake! A rattlesnake! Brother Yuan!" Li Erniu looked up and saw a rattlesnake closing in. It flicked its tongue, moving with lightning speed. In the blink of an eye, it was right before them. It leaped into the air, lunging directly at Li Erniu!

"What a fierce snake!" Qin Yuan let out a cold snort and flicked his wrist. A blur flashed through the air with extreme speed.

*Swish!*

With terrifying force, a playing card—as sharp as a legendary blade—sliced through the air like a knife through butter, hitting the snake precisely at its vital point. The creature’s head was severed from its body, sending the tail writhing frantically on the ground. However, the head continued its momentum, jaws agape, inches away from striking Li Erniu.

*Bang!*

Just then, a gunshot rang out. The flying snake head was obliterated in mid-air by a blank round, falling into the withered grass nearby.

"Oh my! That scared the hell out of me! I was almost bitten!" Li Erniu’s forehead was beaded with sweat, his face pale. He was clearly shaken.

"Really, Li Erniu? Are you that afraid of snakes?" Qin Yuan asked with a smirk.

Li Erniu shook his head helplessly, wiping the sweat from his brow. "To tell you the truth, Brother Yuan, I’m not afraid of anything, but snakes are my only weakness! When I was a kid, I was bitten by a venomous snake on the mountain. I was lucky that a local old herbalist managed to save me by chance. Even though the wound healed, it left me with a deep phobia. Now, even seeing something that just looks like a snake makes me nervous."

Qin Yuan chuckled. He hadn't expected Li Erniu to have such an experience. "Well, they say once bitten, twice shy. It's natural to be afraid, but that fear doesn't have to last forever. Don't worry, if the opportunity arises, I'll help you overcome this psychological barrier."

"No, no, no, Brother Yuan, I can't touch snakes! Let's talk about that another time!" Li Erniu shook his head vigorously at the mere mention of them.

Qin Yuan couldn't help but laugh. A grown man, fearless of ghosts or gods, yet terrified of a snake! It was certainly amusing. But he didn't intend to let it go. To become a powerful special forces soldier, no glaring weaknesses could be allowed to persist.

*Ding-dong!*

"System mission issued: Help Li Erniu overcome his fear of snakes. Success reward: Unlock a new inventory slot! Time limit: 60 days!"

"Oh? The system actually issued a mission for this? Not bad at all!" Qin Yuan’s eyes lit up. He was quite satisfied, as he had already planned to help Li Erniu regardless of the mission.

He walked over to the rattlesnake. After a while, the tail finally stopped twitching. As for the head, it was a bloody mess.

"Right! This rattlesnake is a rare find; can't let it go to waste!" With a thought, Qin Yuan wanted to store it into his system inventory. But with Li Erniu nearby, he had to be careful. He knew that by collecting the creature, he could acquire its attributes. After all, humans had modeled the Sidewinder missile after the rattlesnake's abilities. He was certain that collecting it would grant him a satisfactory reward.

"Brother Yuan, what are you doing? Why are you picking up that dead snake?" Li Erniu stood far away, scalp tingling at the sight. In his sheer terror, he even forgot about Qin Yuan’s incredible card-throwing and marksmanship.

Qin Yuan smiled, having already prepared an excuse. "Li Erniu, you don't know this, but snake soup is a delicacy! Since we're out here in the wild for this war game, it's not easy to come across such a treat. Of course I have to keep it!"

He placed the snake remains into a plastic bag, then with a thought, stored it into his system space.

*Ding-dong!*

"Please make a selection!"

"1. Acquire world-class thermal imaging capability."
"2. Acquire world-class immunity to snake venom."
"3. Acquire a serving of world-class snake soup."

"Holy—it actually has thermal imaging?" Qin Yuan’s eyes widened. He had only been thinking about it, not expecting such an overpowered ability to actually be available.

"I choose 1!"

He made his decision without the slightest hesitation. He knew all too well how game-changing thermal imaging was; it would allow him to detect enemies with ease, rendering standard camouflage useless.

"Ding-dong! Congratulations, host! Successfully acquired world-class thermal imaging capability."