As soon as the battle started, Xiao Jing understood why Shen Chengfeng said she was just here to make up the numbers.
The macho man was using a delicate girl like her as bait!
Xiao Jing stood in the middle of the empty field, the sun beating down on her and her surroundings. It was so quiet that she could hear the sound of birds flapping their wings as they flew by.
A drop of sweat slid down Xiao Jing's face as she gripped the gun in her hand tightly. She was contemplating whether to go all out but did not dare move, lest she ended up being inundated with bullets.
Feeling aggrieved, Xiao Jing pouted unhappily. She wished that she could report the injustice of being used by her Commander as bait.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xin was hiding in a treetop and had a bird's eye view of everything. Despite seeing Xiao Jing standing alone in the middle of the field, he could not shoot at her. If he tried to shoot at her, his location would immediately be disclosed, and he would be taken out by the Commander.
Cheng Chen looked to his left and right. There was no wind, and everything was still, except for a single leaf that had fallen off a tree.
"Bang!" Cheng Chen shot at Xiao Jing's petite frame, without a trace of hesitation.
The bullet sliced through the air towards her.
Sensing danger to her lower right, Xiao Jing quickly jumped out of the way, and effortlessly dodged the sneak attack.
Cheng Chen frowned and decided to try shooting at her again, albeit with some apprehension.
This time, Xiao Jing executed a side somersault mid-air and landed perfectly on the ground. She hid behind a rock which was half her height, then shot twice without any hesitation, after having recalled the trajectory of the bullet.
Cheng Chen quickly retreated after realizing he had been exposed. He looked in bewilderment at the gun magazine and also glared in disbelief at Jiang Xin, who had yet to make any moves.
Jiang Xin held the sniper rifle in a tight grip, then raised it with some hesitation. He refused to believe that Xiao Jing would always be that lucky.
"Bang!" He had been shot, and a large clump of leaves fell from the tree upon the impact. A figure then jumped off a tree branch and landed on the ground.
Jiang Xin frowned at the white spot on his right shoulder, knowing that he had been shot by Shen Chengfeng, who had launched a sneak attack on him without giving away his hiding location.
"Hide," shouted Cheng Chen as he ran out from his hiding spot.
Unfortunately, it was too late. By the time Jiang Xin had made a move, bullets were already raining on him. It was not long before he received a shot to his shoulder and chest and even his head. His entire body was now covered with white patches.
Well, Jiang Xin was "dead" now!
Cheng Chen hid behind a tree again and switched to a hand pistol. Now that Jiang Xin was "dead," he had to retrieve his weapon.
Xiao Jing crawled towards Jiang Xin, who was currently contemplating his life choices. Snatching the sniper rifle he was holding tightly in his hands, she then said to him, "You are 'dead', senior."
Jiang Xin grudgingly released his grip on the rifle and hammered the ground angrily. It was hard to believe that they could not even defeat a rookie. The fact that Xiao Jing was from Regiment 525 made it even worse.
Xiao Jing was about to return with the sniper rifle, but a sudden shot to her shoulder made her arm numb, so the gun slid out of her hands.
Cheng Chen was not one to miss an opportunity. Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, he planned to snatch Jiang Xin and Xiao Jing's weapons while Shen Chengfeng was out of bullets.
Bang, bang, bang! Chang Chen shot three consecutive shots, every one of them aimed at Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing had wanted to use Jiang Xin as a human shield, but before she could do so, a figure suddenly appeared before her. The next moment, she found herself being carried towards a bush.
After rolling into the bush together with Xiao Jing, Shen Chengfeng grabbed the gun from her and took seven shots at Cheng Chen, who had exposed his hiding spot.
Cheng Chen had only managed to take one step out before getting shot. There were now seven white spots on his body, which naturally meant that he had "died."
When Xiao Jing recovered her senses, she realized that there were three white spots on Shen Chengfeng's back. "Commander, you got shot as well," she said in a small voice.
His face blank and expressionless as usual, Shen Chengfeng threw the handgun back to Xiao Jing and glanced at her coldly. "Should I be complimenting you then? Since you only got shot once!"
"I accept your compliment," Xiao Jing answered with a grin.
Shen Chengfeng walked out of the bushes and kicked Jiang Xin, who was lying on the ground motionlessly. "You guys are dead," he declared.
Jiang Xin got up from the ground with a backflip and cradled his cheek in one hand. "Commander, why do I feel like you made use of us on purpose to train Xiao Jing?"
"Thirty-kilometer cross-country run carrying a load of thirty kilograms," Shen Chengfeng said curtly. That was all he said before taking his leave.
Sitting on the ground dejectedly, Cheng Chen rubbed his "wounds," which were now throbbing in pain.
"Ahem, ahem," Jiang Xin coughed lightly behind his covered mouth. "Don't you think that the Commander has been acting weird these days?"
Cheng Chen glared at him in resentment. "All I know is that the next two days are going to be hell for us. Have you forgotten what training we have tomorrow? We are not going to get any rest tonight, not with the weight-bearing cross-country run."
A revelation came to Jiang Xin. He finally figured out the twist to the story.
Could the Commander have set them up to give them a good bashing tomorrow?
SS501 had a monthly wrestling ranking. Whoever came in last would be in charge of all the chores and logistics for one month, including cleaning the shower stalls.
Jiang Xin's mouth twitched uncontrollably. At the thought of having to see dirty socks in the stalls, as well as all the shared toilets on the various levels, Jiang Xin retched. He was virtually on the verge of throwing up bile.
Rubbing her aching arm, Xiao Jing followed closely behind Shen Chengfeng. "Where are we going now, Commander?" she asked enthusiastically.
Shen Chengfeng stopped in his tracks.
Xiao Jing had not expected him to stop and ran into his back. When she looked up again and saw the man who was a head taller than her, she could not help but smile at him.
With one finger, Shen Chengfeng gently pushed her away to widen the gap between the two of them. He then said calmly, "I have other matters to tend to. You are dismissed."
Xiao Jing stood rooted to the ground in a daze. Dismissed!
D*mn! Did this mean she was being set loose?
Shen Chengfeng got on the SUV and was about to close the door when a hand stopped him.
"Commander, I feel great now. I think I can train harder," Xiao Jing said with an earnest expression on her face.
Hand on the steering wheel, Shen Chengfeng gave Xiao Jing a once over. Once again, his eyes did not betray his thoughts or emotions. He merely said, "Everyone within the Special Command Unit can complete the 100-meter obstacle course within a minute. How many minutes do you think it would take you?"
Xiao Jing made a mental calculation but was too ashamed to answer truthfully.
"You will not be able to qualify for the Special Command Unit if you so much as exceed that time by one second," Shen Chengfeng continued.