It was so quiet that everyone could have heard a pin drop.
Everyone was at a loss for words, just like the time they witnessed a python being eroded by their Commander. They were practically gaping at what had just happened.
Mu Xichi blinked in surprise. After confirming that he was not seeing things, he pinched Jiang Xin, who was beside him, and asked, "Does it hurt?"
When Jiang Xin realized what Mu Xichi was doing, he pushed away his hand and walked up to the bucket in mild disbelief. He looked closely at the colorless liquid in the bucket and took out a piece of paper to experiment.
Everybody watched as the paper was destroyed upon contact with the liquid, and eventually disappeared without a trace.
Jiang Xin stumbled backward in shock and looked fearfully at Xiao Jing, who appeared to be unharmed. Was Xiao Jing a person or a ghost?
Pei Yi pushed up his glasses, finally understanding why Xiao Jing was not injured when the Commander had skin-on-skin contact with him.
Standing before the table and facing the bucket of liquid, Qin Yishan did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Is it really necessary for the stakes to be this high?" he questioned.
Xiao Jing shrugged nonchalantly. "This is the only strength I could think of. If I don't show my trump card right now, I think I'm bound to lose the challenge."
Qin Yishan swallowed nervously and nodded. "You are right. Since I won't be able to tackle your challenge, this means that I have lost."
Xiao Jing heaved a sigh of relief. That meant that as long as she did not miss all her targets within the 3-second rapid-fire, she would still have a chance of staying at Steel Eagle.
Glancing at Shen Chengfeng, who was standing at the side, not saying anything, Qi Yue asked with a serious expression on his face, "Are such methods allowed?"
Shen Chengfeng stopped tapping his fingers on the desk and turned to face Qi Yue. "You beg to differ? Are you perhaps thinking that you would be capable of taking on Xiao Jing's challenge?" he asked flatly.
Qi Yue was at a loss for words. Who would risk losing a hand by dipping it in sulfuric acid?
Shen Chengfeng put on his sunglasses and looked towards Qin Yishan, who was getting ready. No one could tell what Shen Chengfeng was thinking at this very moment.
Xiao Jing picked a sniper rifle somewhat awkwardly, not having any idea what make or model would be more suitable for her. There were more than a dozen guns before her, and most of them looked similar, so she decided to pick the one that felt most familiar in her hands.
Qin Yishan frowned when he saw the gun that Xiao Jing had chosen. It was the latest FB005 sniper rifle from Country E and was excellent in terms of speed and explosive force. The only shortcoming was that it had a sharp recoil, which was hard to manage, especially for a rookie.
Noticing his concerned gaze, Xiao Jing said with a smile, "You don't have to go easy on me, Captain Qin. Today's challenge concerns our honor."
Qin Yishan swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and walked over to his spot. He waited attentively for the targets to appear.
"Boom!" A black ball flew into the air.
Qin Yishan acted swiftly and pulled the trigger without any hesitation. With a loud "bam," the ball shattered.
A series of colored balls which were launched into the air in succession, and Qin Yishan hit them with ease. The colors spread across the sky like fireworks, the pink and purple hues, presenting a breathtaking sight.
Qi Yue nodded with satisfaction. "You have done remarkably well by hitting nine out of ten targets."
It was now Xiao Jing's turn. She got in place, and closed her eyes, trying to get herself in the right frame of mind. When her eyes opened again, her eyes were sharp, and her ears alert. She blocked out all the excessive noises surrounding her.
"Boom!" Like before, a black ball was launched into the air.
Xiao Jing quickly pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot out of the gun with a "bam," blasting the black ball.
The sniper rifle recoiled, and Xiao Jing did not manage to react fast enough.
There was a change in her facial expression as she felt the pain in her shoulder. Not having enough time to adjust her movements, Xiao Jing had no choice but to continue shooting.
The colored balls flew into the air, one after another, with no breaks in between. Likewise, the bullets were fired in succession, in twos or threes. Every time Xiao Jing fired a round, the pain in her shoulder caused by the sharp recoil increased exponentially.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
Qi Yue plucked off his sunglasses in disbelief, sneaking a peek at Shen Chengfeng, who showed no signs of surprise as if everything that had happened so far had been within his expectations. Qi Yue then said wryly, "This is the first time that I realized that the fourth master of the Xiao family has a fairly accurate aim. You got seven out of ten. That's pretty decent too."
"He didn't choose well. Had he chosen M500 just like Qin Yishan, I believe he would have done even better," Shen Chengfeng commented casually, as he turned to look at Qi Yue.
Panting as she put the gun back on the desk, Xiao Jing then rubbed her aching arms and smiled.
Qin Yishan, on the other hand, was looking down with his fists clenched.
Qi Yue walked forward and fixed his intense gaze on Qin Yishan, who was visibly feeling down. "You know what I'm going to say, right?"
Qin Yishan looked up and puffed his chest out and held his high. He replied, "I have lost."
"You beat Xiao Jing in the shooting challenge, but based on overall scores, you have lost today. Head back and pack up now. A car will pick you up later," announced Qi Yue, not bothering to mince his words.
Qin Yishan bit down on his lower lip, and his eyes were red, but he fought the urge to keep his head down. Instead, he saluted Shen Chengfeng and everyone else present, before walking out with his head held high.
"Captain Qin," Jiang Si called out softly to him, but could only swallow the rest of his words.
Indeed, the outcome had been beyond many people's expectations.
After all, everyone had a good chance of defeating the biggest black hole they had ever met.
Looking at Qin Yishan's retreating figure, Xiao Jing did not say a single word. The elimination process had started. Today, Qin Yishan had been eliminated. Tomorrow, it could be any of them. It might not be long before she, too, had to pack her belongings and leave the place with regret.
"Alright, the rest of you start training. Do a ten-kilometer cross-country run carrying a load of ten kilograms," Qi Yue lit a cigarette and took a deep long puff.
"Follow me," Shen Chengfeng said, as he walked past Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing came to her senses and quickly followed after him.
The camp at dawn was pretty quiet, and birds could be seen fluttering through the treetops.
Shen Chengfeng stopped in his tracks.
Xiao Jing ended up colliding with his back. She quickly retreated and reestablished a gap between them.
"Why did you have to win?" Shen Chengfeng asked flatly, as usual, while he stared at Xiao Jing.
"Why should I lose?" Xiao Jing retorted.
"The Xiao family has been trying various ways to get you out, and today could have been a chance for you to leave."
"As I said, I want to go home with pride and honor. I don't want to be sent back after having been eliminated."
"You were brilliant to have utilized your strong points to attack your opponent's weak points."
"Thank you for the compliment, sir," Xiao Jing replied gleefully.
Shen Chengfeng placed his hand on Xiao Jing's head, and said coldly, "Should you be feeling proud for having won through such means?"
Feeling the large hand on her head, Xiao Jing suddenly did not know how to respond. She merely looked up at the owner of the hand.
She felt like a dog having its head petted.