After returning to the dormitory, Xiao Jing did not bother to wrap her chest with white bandages. Instead, she lay down flat on her bed, before turning around to stare at the door.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Jing had something to hide, but she always felt self-conscious and hyper-aware of how people looked at her. Therefore, she had a habit of hunching her back.
Hours slipped by, and it was soon the middle of the night.
"Knock, knock, knock," the urgent knocking on the door woke Xiao Jing from her sleep.
Xiao Jing sat up reflexively, her mind momentarily drawing a blank. She slapped herself gently in the face to wake herself up and then looked towards the door. She cautiously asked, "Who's that?"
"It's me, Second Lieutenant Xiao," replied Lin Qi, somewhat anxiously, as if something severe had just happened.
Xiao Jing cracked open the door to peek out, gracing the visitor with a smile.
"For you to drop by so late at night, Lieutenant Colonel Lin must want to talk to me about something?"
Lin Qi nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I heard Jiang Xin and the rest talking about an evaluation that's going to happen tomorrow, which is going to involve you and Qin Yishan."
"What do you mean?"
"As the bottom two with the lowest scores, you will have to challenge each other. The one who loses will be sent back immediately."
Xiao Jing was taken aback. Although Qin Yishan was not the strongest of them all, he was one of the best that Unit 118 had to offer, and everyone knew that Unit 118 was good with firearms.
Since the challenge was of utmost importance, not just in terms of the outcome, but also in terms of honor and pride, it would make sense for him to choose what he was best at. If Qin Yishan were to decide to use firearms at the challenge tomorrow, would she still have any hope of winning?
"I came to you as soon as I heard the news. You should consider what your strengths are and prepare so that you will at least have a fighting chance tomorrow if you challenge each other," Lin Qi added meaningfully, as he patted Xiao Jing on her shoulder.
As Xiao Jing shut the room door, she wondered to herself what her strengths were.
She had had it easy at Regiment 525 for the past three years. It was a gross understatement to say that she was not familiar with firearms. If someone threw a gun at her, she might not even be able to identify its make or model.
Confounded, Xiao Jing climbed back into bed but had difficulty falling asleep.
At five in the morning, dawn finally broke over the camp. There was a crack in the dim sky as if a corner had chipped off. Rays of light flooded out from the crack, illuminating the darkness.
Camp 4 in Zone B was soon covered with light as if it were already broad daylight.
Xiao Jing was the last person to arrive at Camp 4. She was starting to believe that it was going to be a fight to the death.
Half of Steel Eagle's official personnel were present. They had all huddled together as if discussing an interesting topic.
"Fall in," shouted Mu Xichi as he glanced at the latecomer.
Xiao Jing stood at the end of the line, holding a metal bucket.
"Why did you bring a bucket with you?" Lin Qi asked in hushed tones.
"Didn't you ask me to figure out what I was good at?" Xiao Jing replied with a smile.
Lin Qi's brows furrowed. Had Xiao Jing abandoned himself to despair? Was that why he had decided to carry a bucket with him?
As usual, Shen Chengfeng was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, as well as his military cap and cape. Wrapped like a rice dumpling, he strode purposefully toward them.
"Commander, everyone is present," Mu Xi reported.
Qi Yue's gaze settled upon Xiao Jing, who was looking out of place amongst the group of elites. "What is he doing here with a metal bucket?" he asked in surprise.
None of them seemed to have any idea what Xiao Jing was up to.
"Perhaps someone deliberately leaked the news, and informed him what we were going to do today," Qi Yue said jokingly.
Shen Chengfeng gave him the side-eye, then said, "Does that matter? I don't care about the process, only the results. This is their last chance. The victor stays and continues training. The loser gets sent home. Steel Eagle is not a charity organization, and there is no space for slackers,"
"What the Commander said sounds pretty reasonable. I look forward to the results of today's challenge."
"Sir." Qin Yishan walked out from the crowd, then greeted the two leaders with a military salute.
Qi Yue nodded in acknowledgment. "You and Xiao Jing were the worst scorers in yesterday's evaluation, so according to the rules, you will be further assessed today by way of a challenge. Remember, everyone only gets one chance at the challenge."
Qin Yishan could not help glancing towards Xiao Jing with his fists clenched. He did not doubt that, based on his abilities, he would be able to triumph over Xiao Jing.
However, that metal bucket seemed especially conspicuous. What could it possibly contain?
Not knowing what his opponent was up to, he had no choice but to choose something which he was best at.
"I have thought about it carefully, and have decided on the 50-meter rapid fire pistol," Qin Yishan proudly stated the event that he had settled on.
Xiao Jing's heart skipped a beat. She had already anticipated that Qin Yishan would choose firearms, but she had not expected that it would be a rapid-fire event. It was her Achilles Heel.
"How about you, Xiao Jing?" Qi Yue's gaze settled upon the person standing at the very end, whom he expected to explain what the metal bucket was for.
Xiao Jing came forward and answered resoundingly, "Your intention was for us to challenge each other in the events which we were best at, and our choices are not limited to what is covered in training. Is that right, sir?"
"Yes."
"Then my challenge to Qin Yishan is in the form of this metal bucket," said Xiao Jing, as she placed the bucket on the table.
Out of curiosity, Qi Yue went up to take a closer look. When he saw that half the bucket was filled with a transparent liquid, he asked in puzzlement, "What is this about? Are you going to compete with him to see who's able to drink faster?"
Xiao Jing shook her head and explained, "This is concentrated sulfuric acid with a concentration of ninety-nine percent."
The crowd fell silent.
Sulfuric acid with a concentration of ninety-nine percent? What did Xiao Jing intend to do with it? Was he planning for them to throw the acid at each other?
The corners of Qi Yue's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "What are you planning to do with it?" he asked.
"Didn't you say to choose something that we're good at? Well, this is what I'm best at," Xiao Jing replied, before throwing a small piece of cloth into the bucket to prove that the liquid within was indeed corrosive. A cloud of white smoke emerged from the bucket as soon as the fabric dropped inside it.
Qi Yue stared in bewilderment, not understanding.
After a second, Xiao Jing retrieved the piece of cloth and placed its remnants on the table. Only a small part of the fabric had remained. The rest of it had eroded entirely and had become ashes.
Looking at Xiao Jing, who had a nonchalant expression on her face, Shen Chengfeng tapped his fingers lightly on the table as if contemplating a grave question.
"What on earth are you trying to do?" Qi Yue asked solemnly, a frown on his face.
"What I'm about to suggest is pretty straightforward. The challenge will be to wash our hands with sulfuric acid."
As soon as Xiao Jing finished speaking, she casually placed her hand inside the bucket, under numerous pairs of watchful eyes. The way she swirled her hand within the bucket made it look like she was merely washing her hand with a bucket of water.