Chapter Thirty-One We Have All Won

No matter what, I suppose I count as a leader here. This is the moment to show my decisiveness. I loaded all the remaining bullets from my cloth pouch into the magazine, chambered a round, disengaged the safety, and fired every last bullet at a tree not far off.

“I hope the chief instructor won’t blame me for wasting ammunition like this.”

“We’re all one team, so I don’t think there’s any need to determine a winner or rank ourselves. Instead of getting hung up on who’s first, why not all be the last? Among us, there are neither victors nor losers, for we are teammates.”

Though my words sounded heartfelt and moving, I knew the truth was that I was simply too lazy. I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary tension with my teammates over some first-place title. To me, it was meaningless—military training is just a process of tempering, and our days at school are long.

If this were another environment, even I can’t say what choice I would make.

After I finished shooting, Eighteen picked up his gun and fired the rest of his bullets into the sky, venting its final defiance. Huang Xinru wasn’t far behind; her rounds soared upward, leaving only empty shells to fall from above.

The rest of our team, seeing this, didn’t hesitate—they emptied their guns as well.

After spending a day together, we’d reached a quiet understanding. When the bullets ran out, we exchanged smiles.

Choice is an easy word to say but the hardest thing to do, because any choice means giving something up, and none of us likes losing anything. Not choosing is also a choice. We chose defeat, but spared ourselves needless scheming.

“Let’s sit and chat for a bit. It’s been a nerve-wracking day, and it’s finally over,” I suggested to my teammates.

There were seven of us—two guys and five girls—sitting in a circle.

Once everyone was settled, I began, “Let’s all share how we feel after today.”

“I never thought we’d make it this far. I just wanted to grab a gun and some bullets and practice shooting, but I never expected today to be so full, tense, and exciting,” said the usually timid girl, her face flushed.

Everyone looked at her in surprise, and then someone else chimed in, “Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. So many people stronger than me were eliminated, yet I’m still here.”

“We owe a lot to you, Yu. You led us to get guns, helped us avoid unarmed people, wiped out a team with just five guns to make the top three hundred. We’ve ambushed and been ambushed. I can’t believe so much has happened in just one day,” one of the girls said, her bright eyes fixed on me.

Hearing her words, the others looked at me with something new in their eyes. Being admired made me a bit light-headed, but I understood this wasn’t just my achievement. My decisions had been sound, but more important was everyone’s unity—no one dragged the team down, and that’s the real reason we survived.

“If you’re going to say that, then I should say a few words too.” I interrupted the girl who wanted to continue, letting my gaze sweep across my seated teammates.

“I won’t deny my leadership, but I have to say that making it this far without being eliminated is thanks to everyone’s abilities and efforts.”

“We are no worse than anyone else. I can’t agree with you saying you’re not good enough,” I said, shaking my head at the girl who’d just doubted herself.

“There are a few key reasons we weren’t eliminated. The first is everyone’s strong sense of teamwork. We’ve always acted as one, which is why we’re undefeated.”

“Second, our disguises were good—no one gave away our position by moving carelessly.”

“Third, the girls have been amazing. You know, there are only two guys in our team; the rest of you have carried us through. Your hard work, resilience, and refusal to give in are the reasons we still have seven people left. I saw what you girls went through—delicate as you are, you crossed hills and brambles and endured hardships, yet no one gave up or complained. Our victory owes much to you.”

The girls were a bit embarrassed by my unabashed praise.

“Victory is never the result of one person alone; it’s the fruit of everyone’s effort. Our victory is no accident,” I ended simply.

Even if we weren’t the last ones standing, I still felt we were winners—we’d met, even surpassed, our goals.

“We are the victors!” I reached my right hand forward.

Huang Xinru placed her hand on mine. “We are the victors,” she echoed.

“We are the victors.”

Soon, all seven hands were stacked together.

“We are the victors!”

“We are the victors!”

Laughter rang out. Happiness and joy are really that simple. We shared smiles, and the group embraced.

Gao Yi’s team still had two men and three women left. They looked at us, exchanged glances, and also let go of the idea of picking a true winner. Someone fired a burst into the sky; the others grinned and emptied their magazines as well.

“If we don’t want to compete, then let’s all be first, all be twelfth. What do you say?” Gao Yi said, raising his hand.

“Yes!” another guy clapped his hand.

“Yes!” The three girls joined in with high fives.

Our two teams looked at each other, then gathered together.

“Well said, Gao Yi. We’re all in first place,” I nodded at him.

He smiled in response.

Twenty minutes passed in a flash.

A roar thundered overhead. Looking up, we saw two helicopters descending, landing quickly on the open ground before us.

“Both teams board the helicopters,” came a voice over the loudspeaker once the rotors stopped.

It seemed being victors came with perks—at least we didn’t have to walk out.

I’d never flown before; to think my first time would be in a helicopter! Truly, this trip was worth it. As for those eliminated, they could only look on with envy and longing.

Because of the size, each helicopter could only take six people. After a moment’s thought, I let Eighteen and Xinru lead our team onto one helicopter, while I boarded the Green Team’s chopper alone.