by A Sick Frog
“Hurry.” Qin Ke Xuan berated.
Upon being glared at by Qin Ke Xuan, Yin Xu Dong immediately stood before her and reached out his hands to hug Qin Ke Xuan. He was an entire head taller than Qin Ke Xuan, so this bear hug was no different from circling her into his embrace.
Qin Ke Xuan immediately boiled from fury. This guy just had the ability to make her angry. She stuck out a hand from his embrace and slapped it at his head. “How am I supposed to see the road like this?! Hold (hug) me from the back!”
Yin Xu Dong released his hold embarrassedly, stood behind Qin Ke Xuan and once again hugged her shoulders, could you blame him though? To suddenly ask him to hold on to her, of course he’ll hug from the front!
Qin Ke Xuan after ensuring Yin Xu Dong is holding (hugging) her tightly, took a deep breath, bent her knees and leapt up, landing on the eaves on the second floor. Borrowing the momentum, she paused shortly before swiftly leaping forward. A few leaps and they jumped over the high wall, landing on the other side. Qin Ke Xuan didn’t let Yin Xu Dong down, rather, she continued zipping forward, quick as a blinking shadow, and disappeared after a few moments around a corner.
Only when they were near the main street did Qin Ke Xuan stop. She patted the hand tightly wrapped around her shoulder. “Let go.”
Yin Xu Dong excitedly tugged on Qin Ke Xuan’s arm. “Xuan Xuan, you’re too epic! Teach me qing gong!” Then he’d be able to be like spiderman and zip around the city without restraint.
Again with that! Qin Ke Xuan flicked his hand away, saying helplessly: “I’ve said this before, if you can’t learn nei gong, you won’t be able to learn qing gong. The most you can do is to cultivate till your movements are swift and be able to jump further and higher, but you won’t be able to learn qing gong.”
“Xuan Xuan, even though I’m a little dumb, if you teach me a few more times, maybe I will be able to learn qing gong. You see, once I learn qing gong, you won’t need to carry me and run anymore right?”
“I can tell you that you lack the aptitude, there’s absolutely no way for you to learn the cultivation of nei gong. You should just give that up and cultivate the way I wrote for you, at least you will be stronger and swifter than normal people.”
“O.” Yin Xu Dong answered, depressed.
“Go back, I need to go to the training base.” Qin Ke Xuan checked her watch on her wrist again. It was almost time for their collective training, she had to rush back.
“Oh, then I’ll go. I’ll think of a way if Lu Wan Ran looks for you for trouble again, so you don’t need to worry about such things.” Yin Xu Dong upon seeing Qin Ke Xuan was rushing for time didn’t want to continue holding her up.
Qin Ke Xuan hurried to the Reserve Squad’s warehouse base, changed into her camouflage uniform and came out. The captain blew the whistle for time to gather.
“It is once again the monthly surprise attack test. Everyone’s gotta work harder or else the ones getting eliminated will be you!” The captain walked back and forth. After finishing, he even pointed his index finger at the Chi Qu Qi standing in front of him.
Chi Qu Qi rolled his eyes in discontent. Why out of everyone did he have to point at him? He sure wasn’t going to get eliminated okay!
“Reporting!”
The captain looked at Qin Ke Xuan. “Speak.”
“What is the surprise attack test?” Qin Ke Xuan asked.
The captain smiled, saying: “It’s not strange you don’t know since you’re new. We have a surprise attack test every month, basing on the foundations of field survival training. The training will last seven days. You need to depend on yourselves to find food and water, including starting a fire. Be it getting bitten by a snake or insect or breaking a leg, you need to learn how to make use of medicinal herbs in the wild to treat yourselves. As to the reason for this surprise attack test, this surprise training conducted by us the proper Special Forces members is to test whether you are able to stay through you passing various sections. Newcomer, you probably need to put in some effort, don’t get kicked out after just joining for a few days.”
“Seven days? Then what about school?” A field training for half a year wouldn’t be too hard for her, much less a seven day one. As for the surprise attack from the Special Forces members, that won’t be a problem. Hiding in the dark and ambushing targets had been her forte to begin with, as for trying to launch a surprise attack against her, that’s impossible.
“This you don’t need to worry. We will request for your leave of absence. If there’s no problem, we’ll make preparations to leave.”
Chapter 35 - Dead
Everyone had an assault rifle in their hand and a big backpack on their back when they climbed onto the truck parked outside the warehouse. They were sat down in two rows. Qin Ke Xuan was sitting in the outer-most seat, with Chi Qu Qi sitting by her side.
After the truck started moving, Chi Qu Qi produced one black and one green oil pastel from his pockets and handed them to Qin Ke Xuan. He set his face in front of her, saying: “Come, help me draw.”
Qin Ke Xuan didn’t even look at him. “Draw it yourself.”
“Aye, there’s no mirror right, so if I do it myself, it’ll definitely go wrong. If it turns out ugly, won’t it affect my image! Just help me please!”
Qin Ke Xuan was annoyed with his constant bothering, and so she grabbed the two oil pastels and drew on his face. Of course, her movements were very violent, and it had Chi Qu Qi shouting out in pain. After a few moves, she was done. After Qin Ke Xuan threw the oil pastels back to Chi Qu Qi and closed her eyes to rest, she was once again shaken awake by Chi Qu Qi.
“Qin Ke Xuan, let me help you draw!”
“No need.”
“Aye? You definitely don’t know the use of drawing on your face right? This has the same optic camouflaging effect as our uniform. When you’re lying in the grass ambushing you’ll know it has anti-mosquito effects. The most important thing is it’s infrared guise. Don’t think they can’t find you in the night, once they use their infrared night vision device, even if you’re hiding behind a rock, they will be able to clearly see your every movement! If you apply this anti-infrared oil pastels and you’re crouching in the grass, there won’t be anyone who will find your face.”
Even if you’re hiding behind a rock, they would be able to see? How was that possible? Qin Ke Xuan thought about it quietly.
“Hehe, the good thing about Special Forces unit is that they have all sorts of sick equipment, and every Special Forces soldier has their own infrared night vision device, that’s awesome! You gotta know some companies only has that few device! Unfortunately, we’re not proper Special Forces soldiers yet, so we don’t get any night vision device…”
“Help me draw.” Qin Ke Xuan chopped off his unceasing torrent of his imagination.
“Oh oh, raise your head a little, lean closer a little, and close your eyes.”
Qin Ke Xuan did as he said and closed her eyes to let him draw on her face. Chi Qu Qi looked at the fair little face tilting at him couldn’t help but sigh at how delicate her face was, to not even be able to see her pores! The Qin Ke Xuan with her eyes closed didn’t radiate her usual iciness and hard-to-near aura. Rather, she looked like a sleeping angel with her curved eyelashes lightly trembling. Chi Qu Qi looked till he was slightly dazed, really wanting to reach out and touch that silky and smooth skin.
Qin Ke Xuan’s tightly minced lips told of her lack of patience. She suddenly opened her eyes, glaring at Chi Qu Qi. “When are you going to stare until?”
“Ah? I, I’m not…” Chi Qu Qi was struck dumb and nervously tried to cover up the embarrassing fact that he had stared at her till he dazed.
The bunch of other people sitting at the side viewing the entire duration immediately burst into laughter. Chi Qu Qi immediately bared his fangs and sent an angry glare at the few that were laughing. His expression was hard to see through the paint, but the flushed ears completely revealed his feelings, and that had him not d
aring to look at Qin Ke Xuan.
One of the vice-captains sitting in the driver’s seat berated them through the fretwork metal screen: “Remain silent!”
The captain beside him gestured to have him calm his anger, saying lightly: “Just let them have fun first, the next seven days’ going to make them cry.”
Qin Ke Xuan took the oil pastels from the Chi Qu Qi who was busy kicking away at the people laughing at him behind their backs. She closed her eyes, and roughly drew a bit on her face, before pocketing the oil pastels, not returning them to Chi Qu Qi, and even leaned against the walls of the truck looking out as though nothing happened.
Chi Qu Qi also leaned against the walls. He sneaked a peek at Qin Ke Xuan’s side profile. Because of the awkward stuff that had happened just now, he didn’t get his oil pastels back from her. At this moment, he couldn’t help but find it a pity mentally; to colour oil pastels on such good skin was too aesthetically destructive!
The military truck drove and they reach an unfamiliar wild and mountainous place. The truck stopped and Qin Ke Xuan sitting at the outermost alighted. The captain stood at the tail of the truck, saying to them: “From now on, you have already entered the examination region. To ensure every one of you are depending on yourself to pass this test, we will drop each of you some distance apart. Qin Ke Xuan, you are the first.”
Qin Ke Xuan nodded and looked at the captain returning back onto the truck and left. She narrowed her eyes, surveying the surroundings, before grabbing her assault rifle and zipping into the forest.
The Chi Qu Qi sitting on the leaving truck watched the silhouette of Qin Ke Xuan, full of worries. She had just joined them for two days, would she be shot dead by some senior Special Forces soldiers just a few steps into the forest? Chi Qu Qi’s worried expression fell into the eyes of someone else, thereby eliciting the mocking from one of the guys who normally were very unsatisfied by him: “Hoh, did you not look enough just now? If you’re so worried about your xiao mei mei then go over and her beau!”
Chi Qu Qi retracted his gaze, raising his brows in disdain: “Beau, beau my ass! I want to worry, what’s that got anything to do with you, I’ve never seen someone as busybody as you!”
The guy who had mocked him not only did not succeed but was mocked in return stood up with a swoosh, wanting to hit Chi Qu Qi. However, after the other people saw the situation not turning out very nicely, they immediately held him back. The captain sitting in front heard the commotion said: “If you don’t want me to kick you out right now then sit tightly!”
The guy had no choice but to sit down and swallow his anger. Using his glare to slice at the Chi Qu Qi rejoicing at his misfortune, he harrumphed and turned his head, not looking at him.
“Chi Qu Qi, you’re second.” The truck stopped once again.
“Yes sir!” Chi Qu Qi replied loudly and jumped from the truck before entering the forest carefully. The truck travelled along until it had dropped off all the Reserve Squad members.
Qin Ke Xuan walked along the mountain road. What she had to do now was to look for a source of food and clean water, and somewhere to stay for the night. She didn’t know what creatures there were here, and she also had to guard against the spontaneously attacking Special Forces soldiers.
As she walked, she suddenly turned sideways and pressed against the tree. With a bang, a bullet hit the location where she had been standing a minute ago, on a tree, leaving behind a shallow indent as well as the dust of the exploded blank bullet. She had heard that there was a difference between real bullets and these blank bullets; these don’t hurt, provided the person shot is five metres away. The field training this time worked such that once a blank bullet hit you, you would be treated as though you were shot dead. She turned to look behind her. As expected, the grass at the back moved; there was someone ambushing there.
She surveyed the terrain around the area and swiftly dashed toward the crumbling precipice. She heard the bang of the guns sounding continuously, but none of them hit Qin Ke Xuan. The gun sounds blared before suddenly stopping—because their target had suddenly jumped off the precipice and disappeared from their view.
“Ehh… do we chase?”
“My ass! Even our bullets can’t hit her, why don’t you try chasing! I’ll remain here to quietly await your good news.”
“Freaking hell, she’s a scud right!”
“The rear waves of Yangtze River drive on those before*, our rear waves’ faces are slapped dead right here in this wild and mountainous place.”
*长江后浪推前浪 = (lit.) the rear waves of Yangtze River drive on those before; (fig.) the new is constantly replacing the old “That girl’s sure something, I raise both feet to demand she join us!”
“How d’ya know that person’s a girl, not a guy?”
“Where d’your eyes go? Didn’t you see that long wave of hair she left us with?!”
“…”
Only when the three-man party that had ambushed Qin Ke Xuan with assault rifles enthusiastically discussing were stopped by their captain did they stop their chatter and quickly zipped through the forest to look for the next noob to target. They were responsible for shooting the noobs.
After Qin Ke Xuan jumped off the precipice, she immediately submerged into the grass as though a leopard in the midst of hunting, her breath held in, waiting for her prey to appear. Her glittering black eyes filtering through the gaps between the leaves, she stared at the precipice, aiming the assault rifle hanging from her neck upwards, quietly waiting for the enemy to reappear. Once the enemy appeared, she will “kill” them off one by one. Even though their Reserve Squad captain had told them they had to evade the Special Forces soldier’s attack if they wanted to remain in the Reserve Squad, he didn’t make any mention about disallowing them to ambush them back and finish off the Special Forces soldiers.
Very soon, she heard several sounds coming from the precipice. Qin Ke Xuan moved her rifle and aimed it in the direction of the sounds, waiting for them to appear.
“Shh, discovered a noob in the eight o’clock direction, stay low.”
Qin Ke Xuan did not see them appearing, rather, she heard their footstep sounds growing in distance, as though they found another Reserve Squad member to ambush. She kept her rifle and hung it back around her neck, and then scaled the mountain, quietly climbing up to the precipice through the valley, her eyes peering out to carefully stare at the places that one could easily hide in. As expected, she discovered a few Special Forces soldiers with their backs to her lying there. They were also in camouflage uniform and were hard to be discovered once hidden among the grass. If she were to just sweep a look, it also would have been hard for Qin Ke Xuan to discover their existence. However, if she looked knowing they were hiding there, she would be able to see them.
They were currently aiming at the Chi Qu Qi who was carefully walking over, completely ignorant of the fact that Qin Ke Xuan had left and returned. They probably had not at all thought that a noob would have enough guts to come seek death.
Qin Ke Xuan’s forte had always been close combat. The positions the three soldiers picked were a little tricky, but she was sure she could near them and kill one of them off with her knife without being discovered. But if that was the case, then no matter how careful she was, the other two would have discovered that their comrade had been attacked.
And so, she placed her bag on the ground, leapt up a tree with an inhale and squatted on the tree, aimed the rifle at the left-most one. With that, she shot, and before they reacted, she immediately switched her aiming direction and fired a shot at the one in the middle. They had also discovered Qin Ke Xuan. The one on the right quickly turned and fired a shot at where Qin Ke Xuan was. Qin Ke Xuan bent back, flipping backwards from the tree and onto the ground. She hugged her rifled, rolling on the ground before coming to a squat, her rifle aimed at the right-most Special Forces soldier and fired; it hit him right in the chest.
“You’re all dead.” Qin Ke Xuan stood up, saying c
almly.
Chapter 36 - Snake Kiss
The three Special Forces soldiers looked at each other, and very helplessly lowered the assault rifle in their hands in dismay. Tearing off the emblem that signified their examiner role, they threw it to Qin Ke Xuan, and then ferociously thumped their chests, howling: “To die in the hands of a newcomer who’d just joined the Reserve Squad for two days, I have no more face to go back to captain!”
“How come you returned?!” According to their observations, even though the precipice was not very deep, it didn’t make sense to climb back up with her bare hands after jumping down!
Qin Ke Xuan pocketed the emblems, saying coldly: “Dead people needn’t talk.”
“…”
Qin Ke Xuan retrieved her backpack she had hid and carried it, shouting to the bushes a distance away: “You can come out now.”
Chi Qu Qi after hearing the gunshots immediately bent down swiftly and rolled into the nearest bush to hide. Pulling open the assault rifle in his hand just in case, he aimed the scope of the rifle in the direction of the enemy and saw three emblem-less people in camouflage uniform together with a person with the same red emblem as him. There was only one person in the Reserve Squad that had as small a built as that person.
“Qin Ke Xuan?” He stood up from the bushes and jogged over to Qin Ke Xuan.
“How come you’re here?”
“Eh, didn’t you just join us for two days. If you’re on your own, you’ll definitely be the first one eliminated since you’re participating in this surprise attack test before you’ve even learnt anything. Since we’re friends anyways, I’m here to help, why? Is there a problem?” Chi Qu Qi faked a look of disdain as he swept her up and down.
One of the Special Forces soldiers patted Chi Qu Qi’s shoulder, saying meaningfully: “Lad, it’s better you worry about yourself.”
“You people are… just now that gunshot sound was…” Chi Qu Qi suddenly thought about this question. The emblems on the three of them disappeared while Qin Ke Xuan was still here, it couldn’t be?! Qin Ke Xuan finished these proper Special Force soldier on her own? He widened his eyes, looking at the calmly standing Qin Ke Xuan in disbelief.