Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 10

The captain was taken aback for a moment and exclaimed in surprise, “So you have a map? Show it to us right away!”

Cheng Feng was speechless and simply pointed to her own head.

She picked up a stone with a relatively pointed tip, weighed it in her hand, and knelt on one knee to draw a circle on the ground, indicating the designated combat area for the exercise. Then, inside the circle, she marked an “X” in the upper-right diagonal position to show their current coordinates.

Everyone could understand up to this point.

Next, Cheng Feng sketched rough terrain markers – barren woods, flatlands, a small river, abandoned buildings… However, the dry, hardened mud made it difficult to draw clearly, and the complex symbols quickly turned into a mess of twisted lines in everyone’s eyes.

The wise among them all chose to remain silent.

After roughly sketching it out, Cheng Feng picked out three small stones, used her fingers to measure approximate distances, and placed them on nearby points.

“These are the positions where your two teams were ambushed earlier, and this is where our team was at the time.”

The young man with the buzz cut immediately acted as if he’d had an epiphany, saying, “Oh…”

Cheng Feng brushed the grit off her fingers and explained, “Actually, the opposing sniper’s range of movement was quite limited, and the three teams were close together. With proper coordination, we could have already encircled them.”

Upon hearing this, the captain, who had been intently studying the sketch, excitedly declared, “So my command at the time was correct! If we had pressed forward, we would have succeeded!”

Cheng Feng was sorely tempted to smack a stone against his forehead and send him flying out of this world.

Her father had been right – every failed team inevitably had a captain who was just asking for a beating.

“Why did we end up losing six people, while a lone opponent escaped unscathed?” Cheng Feng said coldly. “Because the captain doesn’t look at the map.”

The captain retorted indignantly, “I studied the map all night yesterday!”

The buzz-cut young man nodded along. “I studied it carefully too. We know the way.”

Cheng Feng crouched on the ground. “Then explain.”

The captain said, “Explain what?”

Cheng Feng handed him the stone. “Explain where the sniper was hiding then, where they’ve likely retreated to now, which routes we could take to flank them, and how to ensure the team doesn’t scatter during movement.”

“…Huh?” The captain stared at the small stone in his hand, still warm from Cheng Feng’s grip, before tossing it aside after a moment. “Are you treating me like a god? We can’t bring optical computers or use surveillance in the exercise. What tools am I supposed to use for analysis?”

Cheng Feng sneered icily, “So what you did wasn’t studying a map – at best, it was just memorizing routes.”

The captain opened his mouth to retort, took a sharp breath in, then forcibly swallowed his words.

This must be a technical expert, he comforted himself.

Respecting knowledge is the beginning of human progress – he must learn to accept his own shortcomings.

Forcing a stiff smile, the young man said in a soft, measured tone, “Please, go on.”

Cheng Feng nodded in satisfaction. Meeting their eager, inquisitive gazes, she offered them the guidance of wisdom.

“The sniper was originally planning an ambush. When you also decided to sneak in and launch a surprise attack from behind, both sides were operating from the shadows. Whoever was discovered first would have their rhythm disrupted.”

“But in terms of positioning, camouflage, and experience, you couldn’t match him. When he suddenly launched a counterattack, teammates who lacked experience working together not only failed to coordinate but also ended up hindering and affecting each other in the ensuing confusion.”

Setting aside the influence of the mole, that was essentially the reality of the situation.

Cheng Feng believed her own role in this had been very, very small.

“You should first clarify: what is the purpose of your attempt to surround the enemy? It’s to distract the opponent, recognizing the significant gap in skill between both sides, while leveraging your firepower advantage to overwhelm them.”

The captain pondered for a moment and chimed in, “That makes sense. That’s what I was thinking too.”

Though his voice wasn’t as loud as before.

“We have the numbers, the advantage. Distracting the enemy should have been simple. But you stretched the front line too thin, and even though everyone was close, our marching speeds were uneven, causing the three teams to fail completely in supporting each other.”

Cheng Feng gestured with her hands to form a circle.

“Such a big net, and he could slip out from any hole in it. You’re the one who wove it.”

Cheng Feng was speaking earnestly, but for some reason, there was a subtle feeling in the air.

The tall young men stole glances at the captain’s expression, wondering if his pride would be wounded, if he’d rise up and push back.

But the captain, crouched on the ground like a country dog, hung his head low, earnestly working through Cheng Feng’s reasoning, completely missing the subtext of her words.

“That’s not quite right, is it?” The young man said with a troubled expression. “You don’t even know the sniper’s exact position. To surround him from all sides at once, you’d need a center point, right? We only have 12… well, we had 18 people before, but even that wouldn’t be enough to create an impenetrable net.”

Cheng Feng raised a finger, shook it, and at the same time, nodded.

Everyone: “…”

This friend, are his communication skills malfunctioning?

Cheng Feng took a steadying breath before explaining, “What you’re saying is a fact. So first, we need to determine a general area based on the terrain and the opponent’s attack patterns.”

She directly used her finger to boldly draw a circle on the sketch, her tone firm. “He’s here right now.”

Cheng Feng didn’t know where Yan Shen had moved to now, either. He never volunteered his own information, and she wasn’t planning to ask.

Reaching a crucial point, Cheng Feng took a deep breath. Everyone thought she was gearing up for some big reveal, but she merely sighed and said, “Haven’t talked this much in a while. So tiring.”

Everyone: “…”

What? Does your old-fashioned voice box overheat or something?

Cheng Feng’s throat felt a little dry. She licked her lips and continued, “After determining the range, the next step is careful scouting, not reckless attacks.”

She raised her hand, tracing an arc along the distant road.

“This area has gentle terrain, no staggered high or low buildings, and very few suitable sniper positions. Moving further inside, we might encounter guerrilla squads. Honestly, I lean toward him continuing to clear the perimeter.”

“Then, a spot with enough space to retreat, relatively concealed surroundings, good visibility of the area – the nearest location meeting these conditions is within this circle.”

The others nodded, seeming partly convinced. It sounded reasonable, and since they couldn’t argue, it must be right.

Cheng Feng did her best to explain all the crucial details clearly, as this was the way to earn her teammates’ trust.

In a hastily assembled, flimsy team like this, without overwhelming authority, leading the group was difficult. Besides, she still needed people to charge ahead.

Without giving them a solid sense of security, no one would dare to take the front line.

“If we try another sneak attack from the flanks like last time, we’re no match for him – it would essentially hand the initiative back to him. My suggestion is to split into groups first.” Cheng Feng stood up and waved her hand. “Those with better marksmanship, stand on the left. Those with better scouting skills, on the right. Those who can run fast, raise your hand.”

As her words fell, a few restrained claps echoed in the conference room, and the whole atmosphere grew light and cheerful.

The highlight of the exercise was just beginning.

“And she even knows to divide the team based on the candidates’ specialties.”

The instructor’s eyes were filled with admiration and even a touch of emotion, reigniting strong hope for the otherwise messy admissions plan.

“For this kind of test exercise in the future, we should send students from the Command Department. These rough-and-tumble soldiers only know how to overpower people and grind them down – they don’t understand anything else!”

Several teachers from the Infantry Department silently turned their heads away.

Why does this criticism have to land on us too? If the students turned out this way, isn’t the instructor also responsible?!

Cheng Feng said, “The simplest and most feasible plan is to divide the twelve people into two teams. The faster runners will first circle around behind the target. Then, split into groups of two or three, spaced a hundred meters apart, and advance toward the target area simultaneously and stealthily from both the front and back. The front team members will regularly broadcast messages in the comms. Whoever’s line goes silent first means they’ve been taken out, which will allow us to pinpoint the sniper’s coordinates.”

Everyone had been quite excited at first, but upon hearing this, their expressions suddenly turned grave. Their eyes darted around, drifting here and there, yet none dared to look directly into the eyes of those beside them.

The buzz-cut young man said uneasily, “Huh? Won’t the ones in the front be in the most danger then? Isn’t this just using them as cannon fodder to pinpoint the coordinates?”

“There’s still a chance to survive,” Cheng Feng replied. “If you can dodge his bullets before he spots you.”

Though the odds weren’t great.

The young man with the buzz cut mumbled, “But I want to survive till the end.”

Cheng Feng asked, puzzled, “Why?”

Everyone else was even more confused and spoke up loudly, “What do you mean ‘why’? Of course, it’s to get into UFU!”

“Don’t you want to attend UFU? Then why are you here?”

“Why?” Cheng Feng grew even more puzzled. “They never said only those who survive till the end can get into UFU. Isn’t it those who are braver, smarter, get more ‘kills,’ and play a more crucial role who can go to UFU?”

Once again, everyone fell silent, their mouths slightly agape as they took in shallow breaths.

“The students who never had a chance to prove themselves, who died without even knowing why, are the unlucky ones. And those who coast through to the end without contributing anything might not necessarily get high scores, either.” Cheng Feng’s voice, coming from that speaker, grew louder and more impassioned, carrying a strangely inspiring motivation. “But the candidates who take the initiative, use their lives to relay information for their team, and even survive face-to-face combat – they’re the most outstanding!”

Cheng Feng raised her head, gave them a thumbs-up, and pronounced each word with emphatic force: “Comrades in arms!”

The group of young men were thoroughly swayed by her words, momentarily caught in a whirl of internal conflict.

When it came time to decide, the captain stepped up. He volunteered, “I’ll take the front. The middle position is probably more dangerous. I can take that too.”

Seeing this, a few other students hesitated briefly before raising their hands as well. “Then I’ll take the front too.”

Cheng Feng assigned them their positions and gave each a number. During the exercise, the front team members would call out their numbers in the channel. If anyone went silent, their unfamiliar teammates could quickly identify who was out.

Once everything was arranged to this point, everyone understood.

The young man with the buzz cut asked, “Then… what next? How do we move? What if, like last time, our line is too thin and we don’t stop him?”

“That’s my second point,” Cheng Feng said calmly. “Our numbers are still insufficient; there’s no need to aim for a perfect encirclement. Since the opponent knows we only have a dozen or so people, once he realizes the net is tightening, he’ll definitely break through toward the area with the fewest people. We can deliberately leave a gap in our line, positioning the two best shooters at the weakest point to wait and snipe.”

Another person asked, “But what if the opponent doesn’t head toward the area you planned?”

“Then won’t we simply tighten the encirclement? As long as we can delay him even a little, teammates from the left, right, and rear will all rush in, providing timely support and launching a multi-directional attack simultaneously.” Cheng Feng looked directly at him. “Surely, with over a dozen people, prepared in advance, you have confidence that we can take down a single sniper?”

The young man felt a pang of guilt under her gaze and silently averted his eyes.

Yes. If they couldn’t even muster that much confidence, what were they doing trying to get into the Military Department of UFU?

Another young man slowly thought it over and said quietly, “But won’t that just split the team up again? We barely managed to gather everyone together.”

Outside the screen, the instructor couldn’t help but chuckle and scold, “Gather together to play house? Does gathering seven fools summon a Yan Shen?”

Cheng Feng calmly replied, “This is called ‘diverging in action but converging in spirit.’ It won’t be a problem.”

She hopped onto a nearby rock, turned to face them, and declared with bold confidence, “Charging toward victory – I’ll be your guide!”

A group of newly adult trainees looked up, watching her thoughtfully.

This small figure standing on higher ground with the light behind her, even if her words lacked a forceful tone, even if her physique wasn’t particularly imposing, even if she had all sorts of peculiar habits and mannerisms – at this moment, within her concise, mechanical, and hard-to-evaluate declaration, both the viewers inside and outside the battle felt a faint stirring of speculation.

Perhaps she would become someone remarkable.

And this was where it all began.