Chapter Twenty-Four: The Encounter

To excel as a siskin, one must possess patience and resist the temptation of petty gains.

Others felt the urge to act, but seeing my hand held palm down, they suppressed any thoughts of shooting from behind. Many now realized I was thinking of the proverb, "When the mantis stalks the cicada, the siskin watches from behind," and imagining themselves as the siskin calmed their restlessness. They began to observe the enemy with a detached, almost divine perspective, and the exposed backs ahead no longer provoked impulsive action.

Everyone resumed their duties, though with some adjustments. Ma Shiba kept watch behind us, two girls watched the flanks, and the remaining seven—including myself—focused on the defenseless backs ahead and farther out.

At a distance of twenty meters, even the worst marksman could hit a target, which meant the group ahead was ours to claim.

Time trickled by. Sporadic gunfire echoed throughout the area, heightening vigilance on both sides. Yet they could never have guessed we’d already concealed ourselves, with our gun barrels trained directly at them. Where we fired mattered little; eliminating targets was all that counted.

Gunshots continued to resound around us. After a brief period of tension, our squad relaxed, realizing we had nothing to worry about. We occupied the very edge of this area, and once the time was up, there would be no enemies behind us—only the flanks needed watching.

Moreover, I surmised that anyone approaching from either side wouldn’t notice our hidden position. If they did, discovering the bounty before us would only add to the excitement. No matter how it played out, we wouldn’t lose.

As everyone indulged in their fantasies—

“All personnel, attention! The combat platform is shrinking again. Please reach the rendezvous point within thirty minutes.”

“Repeating: All personnel, attention! The combat platform is shrinking again. You must arrive at the designated location within thirty minutes. Failure to do so will result in elimination.”

...

The announcement from the helicopter made me want to curse.

We had the perfect setup—time, location, and unity. Yet the helicopter shrank the platform to a spot further off to our left.

Those inside could simply hide and eliminate any newcomers. Now, we could no longer remain patient; our plan to be the siskin behind the mantis was ruined, and we were forced to become the mantis ourselves. Whether a siskin would hunt us was now a matter of luck.

I made a throat-slitting gesture to ensure my teammates saw it, then began to aim.

After waiting four or five seconds, I fired—“Bang!”—eliminating the person furthest on the edge.

These teammates weren’t sharpshooters; letting them target the edges would waste bullets and risk missing, giving the enemy time to react. So, I took out two myself.

As soon as my shot rang out, the remaining six girls opened fire.

In an instant, only two remained on the opposing side.

When those two saw smoke rising from their teammates, realizing what had happened, I quickly fired again and took out another.

The last survivor seemed either resigned or mistaken, thinking the smoke was from his own lack of reaction, and was hit several times by the girls.

“Hurry, you six—get out there and sweep the field. I’ll cover you.”

“Remember, remove the magazines and return quickly. This place isn’t safe for long.”

Trusting me, the girls had no other thoughts and rushed forward, guns ready. Seeing themselves eliminated by this squad of women in ghillie suits, and from behind no less, the defeated classmates looked embarrassed.

Whether they were ashamed to have been wiped out by women, or embarrassed they hadn’t thought of using ghillie suits themselves, who could say?

Once the magazines were removed, the girls hurried back to our base. Using the directions of previous gunfire, we guessed where the earlier groups had been, and together plotted a route.

When only two hundred meters remained to the new safe zone, I urged my teammates to calm down; the area was eerily quiet, so quiet it felt unnatural.

“Find cover. Fall back,” I ordered, despite its apparent irrationality.

In truth, human intuition is remarkably accurate. I had a strong feeling, and just as I ordered the retreat—

“Bang bang bang bang bang bang.” Bullets whizzed after us.

Had we not ducked quickly, we’d have been riddled with bullets.

One must always be humble, never arrogant. There are always greater heights and stronger opponents; this principle must always be remembered.

Those preparing to hunt us had also fashioned makeshift ghillie suits. I couldn’t tell where they’d found so much dry grass, and seeing that heap clustered together, I almost mistook it for real grass.

“Take aim—fire in bursts.” Since that enemy squad had already hunted others, our bullet count had risen to over 120 rounds each.

Truly, we were flush with ammunition.

Ever since we got our guns, my companions had been itching to use them. When I gave the order, it was as if they’d been injected with adrenaline—every one of them unleashed a torrent of bullets at the grassy heaps.

Aside from myself, there were nine teammates; forty-five rounds each, totaling four hundred and five bullets poured into those patches of ghillie-covered grass.

In an instant, smoke billowed everywhere.

“Damn!”

“Maniac!”

“Unbelievable!”

...

The people in the grass heaps felt like cursing.

They had prepared an ambush, and we, as they expected, walked right into it. But just as they were waiting for us to get closer before firing, I suddenly ordered a retreat. Trusting me, everyone withdrew while seeking cover, and the bulky ghillie suits helped as well. Despite all the bullets fired at us, not a single one hit; whether their marksmanship was poor or we were simply lucky, who could say?

Next, they had readied themselves to fall back and seek cover for a shootout, but what they hadn’t anticipated was my order for an immediate counterattack, catching them completely off guard and wiping them out in no time.

This was our first real encounter, though it ended swiftly.

The battle taught us much. First, having plenty of bullets gives a sense of freedom. Second, no one here is foolish. Third, our opponents were weak; before we could even feel the challenge, they were already gone.

When my squad returned with the loot, we were stunned. This team was truly stealthy—eight members, each with eighty rounds.

“We’ve hit the jackpot.”

Thirty bullets spent, and in exchange we gained more than twice as many. It was indeed a windfall.