Chapter 391: An Exhilarating Excitement

In order to maintain a high standard of hitting a prey's leg, Lu Yixin had deliberated over every attempt.

For a wild rabbit running at high speed, she would directly give up unless she was confident of hitting it.

It was already difficult enough to hit the rabbit, much less the legs.

She only felt confident if it was an innocent rabbit or pheasant that remained unmoving while eating grass. Because with that, they don't detect any danger.

Especially since pheasant legs were slimmer than that of rabbits!

But Lu Yixin realized that Gu Qingjiu didn't have so many considerations when she fired a shot.

By the time she fired her fifth shot and hit her fifth rabbit, Lu Yixin broke down. "Qingjiu, let's stop for a while. It's troublesome to be carrying so many rabbits. Plus, we won't be able to finish that many at night."

Gu Qingjiu retracted her gun that still had smoke coming out of the muzzle, somewhat embarrassed. "I merely wanted to try the gun."

After all, this was her first time training in the wilderness, so it was inevitable that Gu Qingjiu itched to try her hand at this.

Lu Yixin also discovered that no matter how fast the speed of the prey Gu Qingjiu was facing, she would be able to shoot it.

Her accuracy was 100%.

Two of her shots even hit the prey's legs. But she claimed it was only due to luck.

But it was certainly more than luck that someone managed to hit the legs.

Because she was a newbie and also because Instructor Xiong never told them about how perverse Gu Qingjiu's level of talent was, and that he merely described her as being a talented student...

No one really quite understood just how capable she was.

They merely felt that she was talented because of the short amount of practice time she took.

Now, looking at the shooting skills she was displaying, Lu Yixin was silently shocked.

Earlier on, Lu Yixin witnessed an instance where Gu Qingjiu saw a wild rabbit's sudden appearance, and less than one second later, she fired a shot without hesitation.

It was a casual shot, yet she managed to hit the target!

When a target appeared, one had to at least observe its movements and speed, right?

She did none of that!

Even Lu Yixin, who had been practicing for many years, felt that she wouldn't be able to do it under those circumstances.

Gu Qingjiu's acute and extraordinary sensitivity towards objects, made Lu Yixin realize the reason behind her shocking level of talent.

"I know you want to try out the gun. If you're really itching to try, I'll tell my sister to let you try your hand at tonight's competition."

Gu Qingjiu raised a brow instantly. "What competition?"

"We came here not only to hunt. Every time we come, there is a small event—that is, a mini mixed match between the three military schools. We won't be hunting, but we'll be carrying out a gunfight in such an unfavorable topography. We won't be keeping scores. Whoever is hit will be eliminated. When the time limit is up, whichever military school has the number of survivors will be considered the winner.

"Nighttime is where one's eyesight and observation skills are put to the greatest test. Because some students might be hiding on some tree and sneaking an attack on you. Hence, there are many unknown elements in such a competition.

"Each school will only send out 15 people. Since you're a newbie, my sister probably isn't planning on sending you this time. Hence, she didn't tell you about it."

"If you wish to go, I'll give up my opportunity to you tonight. In any case, you'll just be going in to have some fun, so I think it doesn't really matter. Moreover, I'm getting sick of it."

It was a tragedy to be eliminated shortly after the competition started.

Upon hearing this, waves started forming in Gu Qingjiu's calm heart.

Her eyes lit up. "Really? Then I'd like to try. Thank you."

Gu Qingjiu felt very grateful for Lu Yixin.

She really wanted to give it a shot. She wanted to see where she stood among the students, with her current standard.

How long could she hold on for?

Merely the thought of it made Gu Qingjiu feel an exhilarating excitement!

Chapter 392: Could Relate to Her

This mountain was indeed huge. At least, for the entire afternoon, other than running into a few students from Haihe Military University, Gu Qingjiu didn't even run into a single one from the legendary National Defense University.

Lu Yixin tried a few times and barely managed to hit the legs of three stationary rabbits three times.

And that was when she was a certain distance away.

Actually, from how Gu Qingjiu saw it, her performance was pretty good already.

At least it went to show that the members of the Shooting Department were of a certain caliber.

With their results, Lu Yixin and Gu Qingjiu happily returned to their camp at the stipulated time.

Plenty of the other members were also starting to come back.

Gu Qingjiu and Lu Yixin carried their rather substantial load of prey and tossed them into the courtyard.

Lu Yimei came over and took a glance. "Yo, Sister, quite a fruitful trip, huh!"

"That's all Qingjiu. She managed to hit a prey every time she fired a shot. I merely managed to hit a few."

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingjiu immediately and modestly said, "No, I was only randomly firing out those shots, and I was only aiming to hit the target. Whereas Yixin aimed to hit the legs every single time."

Lu Yixin waved a hand. "Don't be modest. With your standards, it's a waste to be hunting animals. You should be hitting humans tonight."

Lu Yimei's lips curled up with a hint of a smile. "Hit what human?"

"I'm planning to give up my chance to Qingjiu tonight. She said she's itching to try, so I'll let her get a kick out of it."

Lu Yimei instantly shouted, "Nonsense! Qingjiu just started practicing with a moving target. It was her first time practicing hitting preys today. How can she take part in the competition? You think the members of the Shooting Department from the other two schools are easy to deal with?"

It was clear Lu Yimei strongly disagreed with this decision.

Although Lu Yimei reprimanded Lu Yixin, the latter didn't appear angry. She merely murmured, "In any case, even if I go... just let Qingjiu go in and have some fun."

She was too embarrassed to say out loud about how she was always eliminated shortly after the competition started each and every time.

The other members heard this and they came over with interest. They looked at the bag of prey beside Lu Yixin and raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Yixin managed to hit a lot of prey today. Don't tell me it's because of Qingjiu's effort?"

Lu Yibin, too, walked over. Upon hearing Lu Yixin's words, he gazed at Gu Qingjiu. After a moment of silence, he said, "Gu Qingjiu, do you yourself wish to take part?"

Although the Commander didn't agree with the decision to let her take part, Gu Qingjiu followed her heart and nodded, "I wish to try. If it's not possible, I'll do as the Commander says."

Lu Yimei furrowed her brows, though she didn't appear displeased. "This is, after all, your first time taking part in the outdoor shooting activities. I'm afraid you..."

She was afraid that Gu Qingjiu would suffer a blow if Gu Qingjiu—who entered on the reputation of being a genius—got eliminated before she even managed to have any fun.

After all, one who was able to stand out from everyone else and enter the Shooting Department wasn't someone to be trifled with.

As a newbie, it was inappropriate for Gu Qingjiu to take part in this.

"If she wishes to go, no harm letting her try once. In any case, Yixin only goes in to make up the numbers."

As he said this, he even let out a chuckle.

The other members started laughing as well.

Lu Yixin blushed and stared at Lu Yibin with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Fine, you're the most capable!"

Her shooting skills were the lousiest among the three siblings.

But that was also because of the fact that she only had just entered. She was only in her second year after all.

It was why she could relate to Gu Qingjiu, who just entered.

Chapter 393: Three Military Schools, Tangled Warfare!

"Alright then, you may take part tonight."

Lu Yimei relented after Lu Yibin spoke up for her.

Gu Qingjiu nodded her head happily and cheekily saluted her. "Thank you, Commander!"

Lu Yixin patted Gu Qingjiu on her shoulders and imparted her a self-preservation tip. "Listen to me, when you go up, try running to spots where there are plenty of trees and disguise yourself as one. This way, you'll stay in the game for a longer time."

Clearly, this was what she frequently did.

Her words sparked laughter among everyone. Even Lu Yimei couldn't help joining in the laughter.

What do we do with this Third Younger Sister!

Gu Qingjiu curled her lips, bearing in mind Lu Yixin's suggestion.

But she was a person who acted according to circumstances. She needed to see what the actual situation was like before she decided how to act.

They spent quite a bit of time in the mountains. At noon, they ate the same food as the soldiers guarding this important military point.

The prey that they hunted had to be handled.

Letting out the blood, skinning the prey, then the subsequent cleaning.

It seemed cruel.

But this was something that soldiers had to overcome.

Because in the future, after they will be dispatched in the middle of nowhere on a mission, they will realize that even this was merely wishful thinking.

It was crucial that they mastered survival skills in the wilderness.

This was Gu Qingjiu's first time killing something alive. Looking at that bloody patch, she truly felt uncomfortable.

The thought that it was cruel flickered across her mind momentarily. But the wild animals around the area were semi man-bred, to begin with. They were bred with the purpose of letting them train.

There wasn't any point in feeling sympathy.

Gu Qingjiu could only hold back the uncomfortable sensation in her throat.

From handling the prey to barbecuing it, they had to do every single step themselves—including starting a fire.

They couldn't make use of any modern means.

However, towards the end, they sprinkled condiments like cumin on the wild rabbits.

Since they had the means to enjoy flavorsome food, who in their right mind would eat bland and unseasoned wild game?

They had to handle all the prey and the excess was sent to the soldiers guarding the place.

Nothing would go to waste.

But the wild game from the three schools...

Heartache for those soldiers.

An entire afternoon passed quickly, and soon it was nighttime.

Lu Yimei retrieved sets of equipped outfits from the building; they resembled those thick military uniforms that armed police would wear.

One would be wrapped firmly in such an outfit.

There were even firm-fitting helmets.

This was to prevent accidents from happening when a bullet strikes one's head during the competition.

"There are sensor functions on this military uniform. The three military schools will be using blanks of different colors. Once you're hit by someone from another school, this glass-framed area on your chest will light up in red, indicating you've been eliminated. Then when other students see it, they won't continue to shoot. If you're hit but the lights didn't light up, it meant someone from your school hit you. No worries, you can continue with the competition."

Lu Yixin guided her on how to put on the equipment. Gu Qingjiu was shocked to hear that one could get hit by a fellow teammate. "You could get hit by someone from your own team?"

"Of course. " Lu Yixin laughed. "It's so dark at night. No matter how good one's eyesight is, blunders are inevitable. This rule is in place to avoid such situations. The sensor lights will distinguish on its own, there's no need to worry. Just focus on not getting hit by someone from another school.

"We won't be keeping scores. If you manage to survive until the end, you will be considered victorious. Whichever school has the number of players left will be crowned the winner. The competition lasts for two hours, starting at eight when the skies turn completely dark and end at ten."

Chapter 394: Taking Part In the Competition For the First Time

"The topography of the mountain forest is complex, and it occupies a large area. You saw that today.

"If by the time it end and you don't manage to find your way back, there will be guide lights on your outfit guiding you back. If you get eliminated halfway, the same thing goes. So there's no need to worry.

"When you shoot, no matter which part of the person you hit, it will count. But not if the bullet grazed past that person.

"That's it!"

After explaining, Lu Yixin patted Gu Qingjiu on her shoulders, indicating that she was done putting on the outfit.

These were old rules, and Lu Yimei usually wouldn't talk about them specifically. But Gu Qingjiu was new.

Hence why she explained in such great detail.

After Gu Qingjiu and her teammates put on their 'combat uniform,' they appeared black from head to toe. In the dark of the night, if one didn't focus attention on their surroundings, they might not notice these people squatting in a certain spot.

The glass shield in front of the helmet was lowered and it enveloped Gu Qingjiu's entire face within, making one unable to see it clearly.

The thing is...

It was too hot...

After all, it was a thick set of clothes, and it felt terribly uncomfortable wearing it for a long time.

Thankfully, it wasn't yet summer completely. There was still a mild breeze around them, making it more bearable.

Lu Yimei led the team to the foot of the mountain where the other two military schools' players were gathered.

From a great distance, she saw the people from the other two schools.

Since all of them belonged to military schools, they were more or dressed similarly. This made it all the more difficult for them to differentiate.

But the combat uniforms they were wearing differed slightly in designs, though their functions were identical.

"Hello, Commander Lu!"

"Commander Chen, Commander Yang!"

The three commanders of the three military schools finally met.

The three of them saluted each other, and the rest of them also did a salute. The scene was quite astounding.

Gu Qingjiu also realized that the other two commanders were both males.

However, she had always thought that the legendary sharpshooter Yin Ruoyi was the commander of the National Defense University.

It turned out that he wasn't.

Instead, it was a male with rather ordinary looks.

But Gu Qingjiu could feel that the students from National Defense University seemed to have an arrogant air about them.

She had no idea though if it was because they were the top military school or some other reason.

After the commanders exchanged pleasantries, the others started inspecting their equipment.

Lu Yibin handed Gu Qingjiu a gun. "This is the 139, the same model used during daytime hunting. You ought to be used to it by now. One magazine can hold eight bullets at one time. There are 32 more bullets in your pocket. Once you finish your bullets, you won't be able to attack and can only defend. So, only fire after assessing the situation. Don't easily fire a shot if you don't have absolute confidence."

Sometimes some members would get rash and fire five to six shots at one go, depleting all forty bullets within ten minutes.

Following that, all one could do was wait to be attacked.

Gu Qingjiu nodded. "Got it. Vice-Commander, I will try my best."

She would try her best to defend, then find an opportunity to shoot.

After the rules were explained, all the members started preparing themselves.

Once the three commanders finished exchanging pleasantries, they started announcing for the members to enter the mountain.

They wore special ear mics for the commanders to relay instructions to them.

But most of the time, the commanders wouldn't say anything.

Hence, the members could only count on themselves to figure out the situation.

This was also a method to create nervousness and induce a sense of thrill.

Chapter 395: The Commotion On the Right

After Lu Yimei gave the instructions, Gu Qingjiu entered the mountain.

According to what Lu Yixin told her, she climbed up a messy path. This way, she could at least avoid meeting an opponent so quickly.

However, she chose to fight alone.

The reason being, she didn't want to drag anyone down.

Lu Yimei had originally wanted to send someone to protect her, but she didn't insist when she heard this reason.

The members of the National Defense University, however, took their own sweet time and didn't appear anxious at all.

But they, too, didn't go around in groups, and would at the most move around in pairs.

Entering together didn't mean that they would be at an advantage. For once the group got too big, they would easily become a target and were much likelier to get hit.

The mountain was quiet with no one around.

With her fast speed, Gu Qingjiu climbed to a bush and hid there very quickly.

That bush was tall enough to conceal her entirely.

But she didn't want to wait passively.

In order to eliminate others as quickly as possible, she had to take the initiative to find where the others were.

Generally speaking, the three military universities each had their own styles—the National Defense University folks would take the initiative to strike; the National Military University of China preferred to play defense; whilst Haihe Military University would strike whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Their styles were pretty average.

Gu Qingjiu grasped the gun in her palms, feeling nervous.

But more than that, she felt a sense of exhilaration.

Her heart was beating rapidly. As a newbie, although she wasn't as calm and steady as the experienced folks, she might have an advantage that others didn't possess.

Gu Qingjiu could tell if she based it on Lu Yixin's performance this afternoon.

For a rapidly moving prey, Lu Yixin would only dare to fire a shot after assessing its movements and speed, and even then she might not necessarily hit the target.

Although humans didn't move at great speeds, their minds were nimble. Once a person detects that someone was aiming at them, the shooter might still miss the target.

But...

Her intuition was scarily accurate.

So long as that object had a sufficient surface area, she felt certain she could hit it regardless of how fast it moved.

Humans were more like a moving target.

She decided to regard them as moving targets and only aimed to hit the target, instead of shooting for the bullseye!

After waiting for a while, she heard Lu Yimei's calm voice coming from the ear mic at a stipulated time. "The competition started. Go for it!"

The competition had started!

Gu Qingjiu held her gun firmly as she gazed calmly and sharply at the surrounding movements.

According to the rules, everyone had to go up to different paths and also maintain a certain distance.

This was why Gu Qingjiu knew that no one was following her then. But even so, it didn't mean that it would always remain that way.

Should she stay where she was, or should she take the initiative to attack?

She pondered.

Other than the chirping of birds, only an occasional sound made by an unknown animal was heard in the surroundings.

It was so quiet that Gu Qingjiu could hear her own breathing.

At that moment, her senses were amplified manifold, and everything in her surroundings seemed to have enlarged.

There were soft 'sha sha' sounds coming from somewhere nearby...

Someone was coming!

Gu Qingjiu narrowed her eyes.

No matter how cautious one was, a certain sound would be made when one stepped on the soil, grass, and leaves on the mountain forest.

It was a very soft sound, so soft that one wouldn't detect if they didn't pay close attention.

But Gu Qingjiu heard it.

She remained squatted where she was and didn't move, but the gun in her hand was now raised to a certain height through the bush.

Even when turning her head, she did so cautiously. She listened attentively and felt that at that moment, her mind and her body had fallen completely silent.

That 'sha sha' sound seemed to magnify suddenly!

On the right!

Chapter 396: Enjoy Hunting

She focused her gaze and looked to her right.

She didn't fire a shot instantly, but instead distinguished whether the person who entered was a friend or a foe.

The skies had already darkened, and one wouldn't be able to see clearly. But once one's eyes adjusted to the darkness, there was a certain level of vision.

Even though everyone more or less wore the same equipment, after careful observation, Gu Qingjiu noticed that there was a visible difference in the structure of the items of clothing on the upper body.

If one looked carefully, one could distinguish between the different schools in the darkness based on those designs.

This was probably a neat little trick in this competition.

It depended on whether the participants were observant and calm enough to realize that.

Gu Qingjiu was one such person who could keep her cool.

Through the dim rays of light in the darkness, she could clearly see the person walking over stealthily.

Not a teammate!

Fire!

Gu Qingjiu narrowed her eyes, immediately firing a shot once she confirmed it was an opponent. She was like a scary leopard with acute senses in the darkness.

This person was clearly five meters away from Gu Qingjiu, and beside the person, there were several thick tree branches blocking.

Yet Gu Qingjiu could distinguish with no hesitation.

'Bang!'

The gunshot had a startling effect in the quiet mountain forest.

That person fell into a daze and his countenance changed. He then looked in the direction where the shot came from.

But he didn't make any move.

Even though she knew she might already have been discovered, Gu Qingjiu wouldn't expose herself so abruptly.

'Beep beep beep beep!'

The red light lit up on that man who was hit. He had no choice but to turn around and leave according to the guiding light.

The teams from three military schools were waiting outside. The commanders were holding a device that could detect a person's identity who was eliminated based on the clothes' sensors.

When the commander of the National Defense University saw from the device that the lights for number nine had extinguished, his expression darkened.

Even Commander Chen from Haihe Military University laughed unkindly.

"Brother Yang, what's the matter? Someone from your team was the first to get eliminated this time around?"

Due to the fact that it would only display the outcome, none of them knew which school's participant was the one who hit the eliminated player.

But the competition only started a few minutes ago, and someone was already eliminated. It was considered very fast.

Commander Yang snorted. "It's only just begun. What are you so anxious about? Commander Chen!"

"I'm not anxious. I'm just shocked..."

Lu Yimei didn't join in their squabbling. With her brows furrowed, she was worried about Gu Qingjiu.

At the thought of this, she spoke into her mike softly.

"Listen, Gu Qingjiu. If you're somewhere safe, don't come out first."

Gu Qingjiu was surprised to hear Commander Lu Yimei's instructions that were specifically directed at her.

She curled her lips.

She knew that Commander Lu was worried about her.

However...

Having attacked once, she developed some confidence. But she wasn't arrogant.

This person 'died' due to carelessness.

Perhaps he was only seeking opponents so proactively because he had taken part many times.

He hadn't expected to arouse the attention of a wild beast camping somewhere in the darkness.

He also hadn't expected that someone would discover him despite his cautious movements.

Gu Qingjiu calmed herself down and looked up at the skies.

It had only been a few minutes. If she kept waiting there, her legs were bound to go numb from squatting.

If everyone hid and waited for an opponent to show up like her, the situation from earlier would not have happened.

So...

Gu Qingjiu curled her lips.

She wasn't prey. Even if she was a newbie, she wanted to completely enjoy this hunting game!

Chapter 397: She's Not Here, She's in There Taking Part in the Competition

The mild breeze blew in the vast wilderness.

The Shooting Department members of these three military schools stood tall and straight, peering into the magnificent mountain forest before them. They were focused on the progress going on in there.

The competition had just started and right away someone from the National Defense University was eliminated. Commander Yang slapped off the mosquito on his palm.

The rules stipulated that soldiers were to stand straight and weren't allowed to move.

Hence, this mosquito probably just had his fill with the blood of the many members standing behind, leading to its puffed-up body.

Before it could let out a pitiful cry, Commander Yang smacked it to death and caused it to explode into a handful of blood.

"We're going to stand here for another two hours and feed the mosquitoes!"

Commander Yang said, sounding annoyed.

Next to him, Lu Yimei raised a brow but said nothing.

"What's the big deal about feeding the mosquitoes for two hours? After all, it is a great opportunity for the members to make progress. As a commander, can't you even endure this tiny bit of hardship?"

Commander Chen smiled benevolently like a Buddha.

Although he was only 22 that year, he sounded more mature than most people.

Commander Yang cast a sideways glance at him. This Haihe Commander. Since the two schools always placed number one and number two, the members under these schools frequently got into squabbles.

Even the commanders from these schools found each other an eyesore.

But everyone was only kidding around.

None of them were petty-minded.

Since National Defense University didn't go off to a good start, Commander Yang didn't wish to talk to him for now. Instead, he looked towards Lu Yimei. "Commander Lu, I heard your Shooting Department recently had a new member? Congratulations."

Lu Yimei froze at the mention of her name, her brows instantly furrowing a little, before suddenly easing. "Got lucky this year. It's someone who transferred from the department. But she's a newbie after all. Don't tell me she's worthy of your attention, Commander Yang?"

Lu Yimei had seen Gu Qingjiu's information. Hence, he knew that Gu Qingjiu was an incredibly talented shooter. However, Instructor Xiong had instructed her not to reveal Gu Qingjiu's information.

Thus Lu Yimei naturally wouldn't reveal it.

Commander Yang waved a hand and said with a smile, "Commander Lu, everyone is after all students. Don't take the official tone with me. I'm not deliberately sounding you out, it's just that I heard some news. Hence, just casually asking."

Gu Qingjiu's information was actually only passed on to the National Military University of China, but it wasn't kept under wraps or anything; just look at that incident with Qin Huai when she first entered the school.

The other two schools' Shooting Department also learned of some news because they were in the same department. With so many people in one school, who was going to pay attention if they didn't belong to the same department?

Commander Yang was only casually asking out of boredom.

But he felt that something wasn't quite right with Lu Yimei's reaction.

It was difficult for someone to enter the Shooting Department. Just look at how only tens of people made it out of tens of thousands of them. Shooting required a high level of talent, and it was in fact even harder to find outstanding talents in these areas compared to, say, the computer science department. In the past, one had to wait for several months before the Shooting Department finished testing them and confirmed that they were qualified to enter. It was only after that they were extended an invitation.

This was why people found it so curious that the National Military University of China managed to recruit someone so early this year.

"Right, right, right, I wanted to ask about this too. Commander Lu, where's that new member in your department?"

Seeing that even Commander Yang had spoken, Commander Chen joined in the conversation. He looked curiously at the members behind Lu Yimei.

Lu Yimei paused, before saying, "She's not here, she's in there taking part in the competition."

Chapter 398: There Shouldn't Be a Problem For Her to Make It Until the End Right?

"She took part in the competition?"

Commander Yang was stunned. "You let a newbie compete with the wily old foxes?"

Unlike Commander Yang, who appeared agitated, Commander Chen's countenance turned more solemn.

Not only them—the members of the three military schools too looked shocked.

She only just came in and they let her take part in this activity?

"Or else? Is there a rule stipulating newbies aren't allowed to take part in the competition?"

Lu Yimei furrowed her brows. "The point of getting a newbie enter is so that she can progress even faster."

Of course, she wouldn't reveal that it was Gu Qingjiu herself who expressed her wish of taking part.

"What kind of joke is this?"

Commander Yang laughed. "Then let's look forward to seeing how long this newbie can persist before she gets eliminated. If my member wasn't unlucky, the first to get eliminated might have been this newbie."

Lu Yimei merely glanced at him and said nothing.

What arrogance?

It was all because of that sharpshooter Yin Ruoyi that the Shooting Department of National Defense University behaved so arrogantly now.

"Brother Yang, there's a popular saying online these days: Don't casually raise a flag.[he's suggesting what he said might end up coming true]. What happens if that newbie makes it all the way to the end?"

Commander Chen poured cold water on him with a chuckle on the side.

Commander Yang rolled his eyes.

But his gaze involuntarily turned towards that pitch-dark forest.

It wasn't that difficult to make it to the end of the shooting competition.

The reason being, the area was large enough, plus it took place at night.

Many members wouldn't abruptly attack unless they were certain they had a good grasp of the situation.

Under such circumstances, it was actually very difficult to eliminate someone.

By the time the competition ended, at most, only tens of people would be eliminated.

After all, after all the activities, this was more or less the number of people left.

As for that member who was eliminated earlier, it could only be said that he was unlucky!

Just as they were talking, Commander Chen already saw a figure coming down from the top of the mountain.

"That eliminated member of the National Defense University is out."

Everyone's gazes turned towards him.

It was a guy, and he looked quite dejected.

Commander Yang initially didn't wish to reprimand him, but it was inevitable that he sounded serious, so he came off as stern. "What happened?"

That guy said helplessly, "I was too careless. When I went forward, someone detected my presence. That person had really quick reflexes and was hiding behind a bush. I don't know if it was someone from Haihe Military University or National Military University of China."

Under those circumstances, that guy could only shoulder the responsibility for this outcome.

After one was hit, they couldn't go near the shooter to see who it was, and instead had to immediately return to the troops.

When others saw that his light was lit up on his way back, it meant that he was eliminated, so the other members wouldn't shoot at him.

"That means you're not observant enough. Take this as a lesson. Fall back in!"

Commander Yang could only let out a silent sigh.

That guy nodded, saluted, then fell back in with the troops...

Commander Chen and Lu Yimei glanced at each other.

He had made plenty of sarcastic remarks earlier, so he decided he shouldn't speak any further.

Now, they just had to wait quietly for the competition to end.

Lu Yimei prayed in her heart.

She had spoken confidently just now. She didn't hope that Gu Qingjiu could eliminate other players, but she hoped that she could at least make it until the end.

That is if she was lucky enough and no one managed to find where she was hiding.

There shouldn't be a problem for her to make it until the end right?

Chapter 399: How Did I Get Hit?

However, Gu Qingjiu, who Lu Yimei and the rest reckoned should remain in hiding, was advancing without hesitation at that moment.

She clutched the gun firmly in her hand, moving ahead carefully in a slightly bent over position.

Her nimble eyes spun quickly in the darkness, while her ears listened to the situation around her.

Around her were tree branches and short bushes.

When one stepped on the ground, they would make creaking noises if one wasn't careful enough.

If one got unlucky and stepped on withered branches or leaves, an even louder sound would be made, easily revealing their location.

But she wasn't afraid.

She was like a leopard moving around in the darkness.

She gingerly moved about, while searching for her prey at the same time.

There wasn't a need to worry about things on the tree, for participants were forbidden from hiding on a tree.

Hence, everyone was spread out on the ground.

It just depended on whether she could catch anyone.

She moved towards the direction of that eliminated member.

Gu Qingjiu was cautious even in her breathing. Every sound was magnified in her ears.

Her acute senses allowed her to detect all the movements around her.

The surroundings were more or less the same. She proceeded by hiding behind tree trunks to lessen the possibility of getting hit by someone.

'Bang!'

'Bang!'

But just then, two gunshot sounds suddenly rang from afar!

Clearly, two people bumped into each other.

At the same time, Gu Qingjiu could hear, amid the two gunshots, slight 'sha sha' sounds.

This... shouldn't be audible at all.

Especially since those sounds blended with the gunshot sounds.

But Gu Qingjiu heard it.

Such 'sha sha' sounds were out of the ordinary since there wasn't any wind around.

It was in the bush ahead!

That person was hiding using the same method as Gu Qingjiu.

And almost right after those two gunshot sounds rang out, Gu Qingjiu—who deduced that there was someone in the bush ahead—fired in that direction with no hesitation.

'Bang!'

"F*ck!"

'Beep, beep, beep, beep!'

Following the firing of the shot, Gu Qingjiu heard someone cuss.

At the same time, red lights lit up, indicating that that person wasn't from the same school!

She said nothing, merely retreating like a leopard that succeeded in capturing its prey.

There shouldn't be anyone else in the vicinity. That person who she hit could only watch as she backed into the darkness once again.

He had no idea how she discovered his location.

The reason he hid here was that it was unlikely for someone to discover him. Unless that person saw him hiding there right from the start.

But that was impossible.

He couldn't have been clueless about it if someone was following him.

Else, under normal circumstances, no one could find out that he was there.

That student—who was hit—thought with a dark expression for a moment. Earlier on, he had subconsciously shifted his head when he heard the gunshots.

His helmet might have scraped against a tree branch. But the sound it made was negligible.

Moreover, there was a gunshot sound going on at that moment.

It was only this one movement!

Else, he neither made any noise nor made any movements. How did this person realize he was there?

Unless this person merely shot blindly upon seeing a bush.

The kind that was trying their luck.

But looking at how calmly that person retreated, it was clear that they weren't shooting blindly.

There were thousands of bushes—large and small—like this in the entire mountain forest.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't fathom how his location was exposed.

The red light on his body was piercingly bright.

This member had no choice but to head down the mountain.

The commanders at the foot of the mountain had terrible countenances.

Chapter 400: I Had No Idea How I Was Hit

Commander Yang and Commander Chen wore solemn expressions as they raised the device in their hands.

Three gunshots sounded in the mountain earlier, and two people were eliminated right away.

One from National Defense University and one from Haihe Military University.

On the contrary, no one had yet to be eliminated from the National Military University of China.

There were two possibilities: One, Haihe Military University, and National Military University of China were killing each other; two, the National Military University of China killed them.

Regardless, including the first guy, in a short period of time, three people were eliminated. This was a pretty stunning speed.

Lu Yimei felt uneasy. After all, the National Military University of China was used to being at the bottom.

This time, the other two schools had members eliminated shortly after the competition started, yet her own members were unscathed up until that point. How lucky.

She asked Lu Yibin in a lowered voice, "How long since it started?"

Lu Yibin, who felt that the situation wasn't quite right this time, replied in his deep voice, "Ten minutes."

Lu Yimei massaged her temples. "Ten minutes in and already three people have been eliminated. This is quite stunning."

The speed wasn't the crux. The most important thing was, usually after one person was eliminated, the other players would hide somewhere and it would be at least half an hour before the next person was eliminated. This time though, the eliminations took place back-to-back.

Were they all resting somewhere?

"We've heard nothing from your National Military University of China so far. Seems like this time, the results are a little unpredictable."

Commander Chen said with a smile. His words were met with a glare from Commander Yang.

It was difficult to eliminate one person, to begin with. Yet now, National Defense University already had two members eliminated.

One elimination from Haihe Military University, and none from the National Military University of China.

The more members were eliminated from a school, the higher the chance of it placing bottom.

Commander Chen implied that National Defense University might rank last this time.

In the past, it was always them vying for number one with National Defense University, while the National Military University of China ranked last. Worse comes to worst, the National Military University of China might switch rankings with Haihe Military University. But National Defense University had never placed bottom before.

After all, the students from that school had an advantage over the others, for they basically came from families that had served in the army for generations or had highly-ranked officials for parents.

That night's results were surprising.

Commander Chen was trying to imply this.

Commander Yang had to glare at him, of course.

If the National Defense University ranked bottom, others might laugh their heads off when word got out.

What a spooky day!

While everyone was waiting, the other two eliminated members came down, respectively.

One was an annoyed-looking National Defense University member, while the other was a confused-looking Haihe Military University member.

The minute the National Defense University member came over, he recounted what had happened. "I collided head-on with someone from Haihe Military University. I... didn't manage to dodge the bullet."

At the mention of this, he gritted his teeth.

The people from Haihe Military University couldn't help but curl their lips.

Commander Chen didn't laugh but merely looked towards this member of his. "He Yi, I thought that you would make it until the end. How did you get eliminated so quickly this time?"

This He Yi was one of the more outstanding members of the Haihe Military University Shooting Department.

To be regarded as outstanding in the elite Shooting Department, this person must be pretty talented.

But this time, in spite of his talent, he was eliminated.

His expression was difficult to read. "Commander Chen, if I tell you I had no idea how I got hit by the bullet, would you believe me?"

Commander Chen was speechless.

Upon hearing this, everyone cast their gaze upon him.

Including that National Defense University guy who got eliminated. He was feeling resentful, to begin with, so he asked directly, "How could you not know how you were eliminated? Did that person sneak an attack on you?"