Chapter 26: The Terrifying Chu Yuan

"Well played, Captain!"
"Impressive, Captain!"
"The Captain is the best!"
...
A group of members began to tease their leader.

"You bunch of rascals! Trying to mock me? Go, go, go, get yourselves hidden. We’re going to give Commander Kang a grand welcome in a moment!" The captain laughed and scolded them.

It was common knowledge that they didn’t kill ordinary soldiers who didn't affect the overall outcome, but these brats were intentionally flattering him; if that wasn't mocking him, what was?

"Received!"
"Received!"
...
One voice after another came through.
The tall grass fell completely silent.

Rumble.
The sound of an engine approached.
The guard squad was in the lead, fully armed, running while carefully scanning their surroundings for potential threats. After all, this was a simulation of a real battlefield; the enemy could appear anywhere.

Kang Lei sat in the bulletproof jeep in the middle of the convoy, his expression stern.
"Hmph, you want to disband my Iron Fist Regiment? It’s not going to be that easy!"
Kang Lei’s eyes were slightly bloodshot, and he couldn't help but heave, his breathing heavy. "Even if this time the opponent is Fan Tianlei’s special forces, my Iron Fist Regiment will prevail!"

The conviction of victory had taken root in Kang Lei’s heart. To save the Iron Fist Regiment, they had to win this military exercise. It was their only hope for survival. Because—almost every large-scale exercise was a precursor to military reform. Kang Lei had received a tip from a friend at headquarters: this exercise concerned the very fate of the Iron Fist Regiment. If they lost, it would prove that the regiment no longer had a reason to exist. Conversely, perhaps the higher-ups would consider keeping them.

After all, every institution in the country was implementing streamlining policies, and the military was no exception. They were cutting the fat. Bloated, conventional units held little significance for modern warfare. The primary form of war now was localized, special warfare—the domain of special forces.

But as the commander of the Iron Fist Regiment, Kang Lei would absolutely not allow the unit to be disbanded under his watch. He had poured too much of his heart and soul into this regiment; he couldn't bear to see it end this way.

Just then—
Rat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Suddenly, intense gunfire erupted.

"What’s going on?" Kang Lei was shocked. Looking through the vehicle's monitor at the road ahead, he saw countless bullets flying from the grass. In a single exchange, more than half of his guard squad had been killed.

"This is... an enemy ambush!"
Kang Lei felt his heart go cold. "Why? Why was my position discovered? Is there truly no place left for the Iron Fist Regiment?" He was thrown into a panic.

To ensure his own safety, he had deliberately delayed his entry into the battlefield, but he never expected the enemy to have anticipated it. "Hmph! A fine job, Fan Tianlei! A fine job, special forces!" Kang Lei growled, yet he was helpless. Right now, he could only hope that his guard squad could hold them off a little longer or eliminate the enemy.

"My god! Sir, the enemy's accuracy is too high; the guard squad is almost wiped out! Retreat! We must retreat quickly!"
The driver, who was also Kang Lei’s personal bodyguard, saw the dire situation and slammed on the gas, preparing to pull back. However, there was another vehicle behind them, and he couldn't get away immediately.

Rat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The gunfire gradually died down.
As expected, without any surprise, everyone in the guard squad—except for those in the vehicle—had been eliminated.

Kang Lei couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I, old Kang, have spent half my life in the service, and I never expected... that in my twilight years, I would be decapitated like this?"
He knew his time had come.

Ahead of the vehicles, the Wild Wolf squad had wiped out the guard squad in a single encounter. Victory was already in their grasp. The captain, Wang Qiang, couldn't help but smile brilliantly, shouting toward Kang Lei’s convoy from a distance, "Commander Kang, get out and surrender! We’ll give you a decent death!"

The surviving members of the guard squad sat on the ground, their eyes bloodshot with a mix of hatred and fear. They had never imagined that with so many of them, they would be wiped out in a single exchange without even seeing where the enemy was. The enemy's terrifying marksmanship and rapid movements had completely shattered their perceptions. The shooting terrified them, but the enemy's behavior filled them with fury.

When Kang Lei heard this, he was instantly enraged. A decent death? A soldier can be killed, but not insulted! This was too much. He moved quickly, reaching into his pocket for a grenade, ready to pull the pin.

"Commander, no!" The soldier beside him quickly stopped him.
"Xiao Liu, you don't want me to end it, so you want me to become their prisoner?" Kang Lei’s eyes were bloodshot, his face full of anger.
"Commander, as long as there is life, there is hope!" Xiao Liu was at a loss for words, saying the first thing that came to mind.
"You..." Kang Lei glared at him, frustrated.

Rat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
But just then, intense gunfire erupted once again.

Kang Lei was startled. What was going on? Did someone else arrive?
At the very moment the Wild Wolf squad had revealed themselves and were at their most relaxed, Qin Yuan and Li Erniu finally appeared! They were less than 30 meters behind the Wild Wolf squad and suddenly launched a fierce assault!

Qin Yuan, in particular, displayed god-like marksmanship; his "Perfect-grade Marksmanship" was on full display. With his first volley, four members of the Wild Wolf squad were shot in the back of the head and immediately eliminated.

"What the hell? What's happening?"
"There's someone behind us???"
"We've been ambushed?"
"Are we being counter-sniped??"

Hearing the sudden gunfire, the members of the Wild Wolf squad were stunned. Then, four of them felt the impact of shots to the back of their heads. They were out.
In that instant, they found it impossible to accept. They were the dignified Wild Wolf squad! They had intended to end this battle with zero casualties. They never expected that in a single encounter, they would lose four men. Was the marksmanship on the other side that terrifying? Was it really that accurate?

"Boss, you have to avenge us!" one of the eliminated members gritted his teeth. There was no helping it; as special forces, being eliminated by ordinary soldiers was a lifelong disgrace that could never be washed away.

However, the nightmare continued. The remaining three, including the captain of the Wild Wolf squad, burst into action, sprinting toward the grass on the side of the road. They knew that if they tried to turn and return fire, the time it took would be enough for the enemy to finish them off. The only option was to dodge and find cover.

"Hmph! A bunch of ordinary soldiers—I don't believe that even with the three of us dodging, you can hit us!" Wang Qiang was full of confidence in his and his teammates' evasion skills.

But—
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
Three more precise shots followed. The bullets seemed to have auto-aim. All three struck their heads, one after another.

"What the..."
"Damn it!"
"I..."
Three cries of surprise rang out almost simultaneously. Wang Qiang and the other two looked at each other in shock and disbelief.
"C-Captain... the three of us were eliminated at the same time?"
"And we were eliminated while dodging at high speed?"
"Most importantly! We were all headshot!"
The two men began to discuss it, their faces filled with terror.