As usual, it was so hot that the sun was practically frying the earth, and the heat could be seen in waves that were rolling off the ground.
The vast training ground was deadly silent. It was as if there was nobody around.
Putting down the assault rifle that she was holding, Xiao Jing could not help but feel awkward. She was convinced that even the crows, which had just flown over her head, were mocking her.
Shen Chengfeng walked up to her without saying a single word. He guided Xiao Jing's hand to hold the butt of the rifle, rested it on her shoulder, then grabbed her opposite hand with his. Placing his head on her shoulder, he whispered, "Observe before shooting."
Xiao Jing was startled by the breath she felt on her neck and instinctively shrank her head towards her shoulders. She was contemplating whether or not she was supposed to have self-respect and push away the man who was trying to take advantage of her. After thinking about it carefully, she decided that it would not be wise to do so under so many watchful eyes. If she pushed the Commander away, she would probably be blacklisted for humiliating him.
Cheng Chen and the rest were dumbfounded at the sight, but no one dared to make a single sound. Everyone went down memory lane as they recalled when they first joined the Special Command Unit, they had either ended up bloodied or with broken limbs. It was not an overstatement to say that every day had been a test of endurance and intense suffering for them. But it was also how most of them had made it as far as they had.
Their Commander had most definitely never coached them personally, and even less so in such a gentle manner.
Xiao Jing aimed carefully at the target. Maybe she was naturally a fast learner, the soldiers thought. However, her next shot hit the bullseye and had not deviated even by 1 mm.
Still holding her hand, Shen Chengfeng guided her in another direction, and then said to her, "Stay focused. Let's do it again."
Just like before, there were ten consecutive shots. Although not all of them hit the bullseye, this time, none of them had missed the target. It was a marked improvement from the previous round, when seven shots had missed the mark, and only three had made it.
Xiao Jing put down the assault rifle, her fair complexion now flushed. She stared at Shen Chengfeng expectantly, like a child waiting to be praised.
Glancing at the extra pairs of eyes watching them, Shen Chengfeng said calmly, "See? Even someone as useless as him is trying his best, do you guys think you are undefeatable?"
Everyone remained silent.
Shen Chengfeng chose a handgun and fired a shot directly into the air. He then said resoundingly, "Show him how good you guys are. Let him see what it means to be a real member of the Special Command Unit."
Xiao Jing was at a loss for words. She could feel a ball of fire rising in her chest. D*mn mother*cker, how she wished she could sink her sharp fangs into him.
Jiang Xin was the first one to "perform." He had long wanted to tell the newcomers that they were merely extras on his battlefield and that they would barely make it past two minutes.
The Special Command Unit needed to practice skeet shooting daily. They not only had to shoot objects which were moving rapidly with perfect precision but also had to do so in quick succession.
Jiang Xin smiled smugly as he destroyed the flying discs with twenty consecutive shots.
Still his unsmiling self, Shen Chengfeng looked at Xiao Jing and asked, "What do you think?"
What did she think? She wanted to spit in his face.
"Do you think your abilities would allow you to remain here?" Shen Chengfeng continued.
Xiao Jing clenched her fists tightly. The apparent disdain in his eyes was starting to piss her off.
"You don't agree with me?"
"No, what you said was right. I am indeed not competent enough to remain here," Xiao Jing answered truthfully.
Shen Chengfeng looked at her expectantly, anticipating what she would say next.
Xiao Jing shrugged. She looked as if she didn't care whether or not they understood what she was doing or thinking. "Maybe this sounds a bit presumptuous, but it can't be helped. I'm not going anywhere."
"Your answer is indeed beyond my expectation. But then again, given how thick-skinned you are, it should not be surprising that you would say something like this," said Shen Chengfeng, as he looked at her hands.
Xiao Jing blinked. Had he just suggested that she was thick-skinned?
"I'm getting more and more curious about that skin of yours, which remains intact even after coming in contact with mine," Shen Chengfeng got closer and closer to Xiao Jing until he was only a single step away.
Xiao Jing coughed lightly. If not for the fact that her gender was male on her ID, she would be worried whether the man before her would suddenly pull her into a passionate embrace and start ravishing her with his honeyed words.
Saying stuff like "You're my honeybunch, sugar plum, pumpy-umpy-umpkin, you're my sweetie pie!"
"As for your hidden illness," Shen Chengfeng trailed off as his eyes traveled downwards, staring at the skinny body before him.
In her panic, Xiao Jing took a few steps back. Her sense of crisis was triggered, and she mumbled nervously, "Commander, are we only practicing with guns today?"
Shen Chengfeng turned his head to look at the soldiers who were currently training intensively, then pointed towards the gun target in the distance, saying, "Actual combat. Do you dare?"
Xiao Jing was stunned. What did he mean by that? Did he expect them to PK each other in person?
Jiang Xin, who was carrying a sniper rifle on his shoulder, replied with a smirk, "Sure, Commander. It has been a while since we have done this. How would you like to do it?"
"You and Cheng Chen in one team, me and Xiao Jing in another. Everyone gets ten shots each, and the person who gets shot at the most will do a 30-kilometer weight-bearing cross-country run," said Shen Chengfeng, as he took off his sunglasses.
"You may snatch the other team's weapons," he added.
Cheng Chen was at a loss for words. Commander, could you be any more thick-skinned than this?
Jiang Xin merely smiled and started selecting the weapons. Based on what he understood about their Commander, he would be choosing both close-in and long-range weapons. Xiao Jing would surely drag him down, so it was actually two versus one.
At the thought of the Commander having to surrender at the end, Jiang Xin could barely hold in a victorious cry.
How many years had it been? They had almost forgotten what it was like to have pride and dignity. It was their chance to avenge themselves for all the humiliation they had been subject to over the years.
Xiao Jing, on the other hand, was somewhat hesitant. After all, she knew her limitations. "Sir, I'm not good enough—"
"Don't expect too much from yourself," Shen Chengfeng said casually.
Xiao Jing looked at her Commander, who had subconsciously become a giant in her eyes. Before she could say the words on the tip of her tongue, though, she heard him speak again.Shen Chengfeng placed the gun back into the holster. "You're just here to make up the numbers," he said, as he threw the weapon over to Xiao Jing.