Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 7

Before the drill officially commenced, the conference hall of United Federation University was already filled to capacity.

While Xiang Yunjian was reading out the examination rules, the instructors pulled up the profiles of several top-ranked students based on this round’s results. They introduced their characteristics and expertise to the admissions panel and faculty members from various departments.

On the high-hanging deep blue screen, one identity card after another flashed by, none displaying particularly outstanding achievements – until it finally stopped at Cheng Feng’s file.

There was remarkably little data about Cheng Feng, yet the single line noting “Top Rank in All Six Manual Operation Training Lists on San Yao” was more than enough to serve as her green pass.

After major military academies successively established manual operation majors, there had yet to emerge a figure capable of rivaling the top students in sensory mech fields. The military academy league competitions had also not seen manual operation mechs for a long time, rendering the discipline somewhat redundant and, within just a few years, pushing it toward the twilight of its relevance.

Everyone was speculating whether, in the final moments of this twilight, a professional manual operation mech pilot like Ji Ban might appear – someone capable of breaking the mold and reviving the glory of the field.

“His age remains undetermined for now and requires bone age testing. Currently, he is an unregistered individual on Post-war Star.”

The instructor captured a screenshot through Xiang Yunjian’s perspective.

Cheng Feng’s jacket was excessively large, buttoned meticulously all the way to the top and worn with a cap. Previously, at least her eyes had been visible, but now even they were concealed behind the lenses.

The teacher squinted, trying to make out Cheng Feng’s true appearance for a long while but without success, and couldn’t help remarking, “This examinee is truly mysterious.”

The instructor chuckled and explained, “He comes from a relatively poor background. His clothes are likely secondhand, and there’s no requirement for him to hide his face.”

Several officials nodded and said, “Alright, let’s observe his combat style first.”

For a mech pilot, personality is just as important as skill.

One can be bold but not reckless; cautious but not timid. In critical moments, an instinctive decision can often determine the survival of the main operator.

Yet, the fine line between these traits is difficult to define with specific standards – it can only be glimpsed, to some extent, in actual combat.

Contrary to Jiang Linxia’s concern that she might act recklessly, Cheng Feng actually slowed her pace once the drill officially began.

She was intimately familiar with this map – it was practically her home ground. Precisely because of that, she exercised extreme caution toward every blind spot in the surroundings, advancing only in a circuitous manner after confirming there was no risk of attack.

From Yan Shen’s position, Cheng Feng was almost entirely within his line of sight, allowing him to clearly observe her movements.

Her physical strength was lacking, yet her bodily agility was remarkable.
Her explosive power was limited, but her technique was seasoned.

Perhaps because she had learned combat essentials from a fighting robot, coupled with her own exceptional talent for muscle control, her critical weakness in strength became subtly masked by her strengths – even giving rise to a fluid, natural, and distinctive style.

As the distance gradually widened, Yan Shen picked up his rifle and began repositioning, remarking to Xin Kuang along the way, “Finance, when we get back, you should learn positioning from Cheng Feng – it could outclass ninety percent of military academy students.”

Jiang Linxia mocked, “Give it up. With our Finance’s bulky build, no matter how much he practices positioning, he’d never bounce like a rabbit – at best, he’d resemble a zombie.”

Xin Kuang replied with a harmless expression yet piercing words, “You may not be bulky, but when you bounce, you look no better than a toad.”

Jiang Linxia: “…”

Human friendship truly is one of the most peculiar things in the world.

It’s like a loose thread on a sweater – something you constantly want to pull at, yet reality forces you to endure it.

While the group was busy bantering, Cheng Feng encountered her first wave of enemies for the day.

A hundred individuals were randomly scattered across the entire map, meaning enemies could emerge from any direction.

This time, the opponents flashed into view on Cheng Feng’s upper left – likely two people moving together.

Those two were also moving swiftly. From Cheng Feng’s current perspective, they were little more than two faint, easily overlooked dark figures in her peripheral vision.

Even the instructor monitoring the screen at the front hadn’t fully registered the situation before Cheng Feng’s bullet was already fired.

Unfortunately, it didn’t land a perfect hit. The opponent rolled deftly on the ground and took cover behind a rock.

Yan Shen relaxed his finger poised on the trigger, lowered his head slightly, and bit the tip of his glove to pull it back.

He had noticed those two individuals earlier than Cheng Feng did, yet his firing speed couldn’t match hers. The other party seemed completely unaware of his presence and didn’t expect any assistance from him.

Yan Shen readjusted his perspective, thinking inwardly with a faint smile: Am I being underestimated?

After the initial exchange of fire, both sides fell into a brief silence.

The earlier incident had occurred too abruptly – the two opponents on the other side seemed still unaware of Cheng Feng’s exact position.

They peered out furtively, cautiously shifting their bodies to avoid being targeted by a sniper.

The two observed the situation ahead using reflective lenses. After adjusting their angle, they caught a glimpse of the edge of a black cap hiding behind a moss-covered rock, shifting restlessly toward the side.

The taller young man pointed in another direction, signaling that he would flank around while his teammate provided cover.

His teammate nodded in agreement.

The young man then made a diving leap, trying to keep his center of gravity low as he quickly moved toward the shelter of a nearby tree trunk. However, before he had taken more than two steps, a notification of being sniped popped up.

He froze mid-motion, caught in the half-risen posture after his roll, eyes wide with confusion as he scanned his surroundings, filled with bewilderment toward this harsh reality.

In the blink of an eye, Cheng Feng dashed out, circling straight to the side of the surviving opponent.

The young man was still checking on his teammate’s situation when he turned his head in alarm, hastily trying to aim. Before his muzzle could lock on target, Cheng Feng greeted him with a bullet right to the face. Taking advantage of the opponent’s delayed reaction – and to be extra sure – she fired one more shot.

These two had practically met their end in bewildering confusion.

The instructor shook his head in resignation.

Such lax combat awareness.

Yet it truly hadn’t been expected that Yan Shen and Cheng Feng would coordinate so seamlessly.

Cheng Feng holstered her gun and glanced back briefly. Though her expression was hard to read, the meaning was quite clear – something along the lines of: Slow-moving, but surprisingly quick on the trigger.

Yan Shen chuckled quietly to himself.

Cheng Feng walked toward the two “corpses.” As she drew closer, she could hear them still murmuring as if caught in a dream. “Are we… already dead?”

When the two got a clear look at Cheng Feng’s appearance and concluded she wasn’t from UFU, their voices roughened with frustration. “You’re on our side, aren’t you? Why engage in friendly fire?”

Cheng Feng didn’t respond, merely reaching out to take their communication device.

The young man leaned back to dodge, demanding loudly, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

A proctor’s voice reminded them through the earpiece. “Deceased examinees, please leave the area promptly and do not resist. Return all equipment to the collection point. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Realizing the situation was beyond salvage, the two sighed resignedly, handed the device to Cheng Feng, and picked up their guns to exit the battlefield.

Cheng Feng continued moving steadily forward along the path from which the two had come.

It was unclear whether it was due to good fortune or because Cheng Feng had deliberately chosen the edge of the map – an area less conducive to grouping. The two of them never encountered large enemy forces, only scattered, roaming stragglers.

And after that, everything progressed with remarkable smoothness.

As the terrain gradually flattened and widened, with suitable sniping points dwindling, Yan Shen reminded Cheng Feng to choose a more advantageous section of the map. Unfortunately, his advice went unheeded.

He had initially planned to maintain a longer distance, prioritizing safety while providing remote support, only to find that enemy stragglers seemed to consistently wander into his line of sight.

By the time he secured his fifth kill, a strange sensation began to emerge.

It was an eerie, indescribable feeling he had never experienced before – as if he were the one exposed.

For a sniper, such intuition was almost fatal, capable of severely impacting his mental state.

Yan Shen shook his head, trying to clear the distracting thoughts from his mind and forcing his focus back onto the target before him.

Yet, when Cheng Feng’s figure once again flashed through his scope, that absurd idea resurfaced, stubborn and impossible to shake off, itching at him like an unbearable discomfort.

Could it be?

Surely not… right?

Yan Shen propped himself up on his elbows and shifted a body’s length to the side in a low crawl. His instinct for caution drove him to reflect on Cheng Feng’s various actions, searching for any clues that might offer him some reassurance.

After their initial coordinated effort, Cheng Feng’s behavior seemed to have grown slightly more aggressive.

Her firing speed was remarkably fast, and her ability to capture dynamic information was exceptional. In relatively open areas, she excelled at using dense lines of fire to counter the opponent’s movements.

Precision wasn’t her focus – instead, she relied on indiscriminate shooting. At the same time, she used her seemingly inaccurate marksmanship to lull the enemy into lowering their guard, then skillfully guided their positioning.

It was like a hunter wielding a scattergun, driving prey right toward his sniper’s muzzle.

But a sniper’s position is constantly changing. He hadn’t communicated his current location – so how could Cheng Feng possibly determine his firing range?

Yan Shen inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine and spoke up in the team channel. “Hey?”

Jiang Linxia replied, “Hey what? Is the kid down already?”

Xin Kuang asked,“Need backup?”

Xiang Yunjian: “Stay focused. Jiang Linxia, your aim wavers when you talk – shut it.”

Only Cheng Feng remained silent.

That made him feel even less secure.

With a self-mocking twist of his lips, Yan Shen shook his head at his own absurdity and said, “Never mind.”

…

Earlier, the screen had primarily displayed the perspectives of several UFU students, allowing the observers to assess the examinees’ conditions. Faculty members from various departments offered brief comments and assigned scores accordingly.

At this moment, however, the meeting room fell into an unusual silence.

In a space filled with dozens of people, only the sound of the video played, lending an almost solemn atmosphere.

After a moment, the admissions director pointed at Cheng Feng and said, “Switch to that mysterious examinee’s perspective.”

The instructor complied, quickly switching views and rewinding the footage slightly.

From Yan Shen’s perspective, the details were not obvious. But from Cheng Feng’s point of view, it became clear that before Yan Shen fired each shot, she had made a subtle movement.

First, a glance at the target, then a glance toward Yan Shen’s location.

Once or twice could be a coincidence, but when repeated again and again, it could only mean that Yan Shen had been “exposed.”

It was Cheng Feng deliberately guiding him to clear the line of threat.

A burst of intense discussion erupted, growing louder until it nearly drowned out the dialogue in the background.

The examinee responsible for maintaining order exclaimed in astonishment, “How did he know the sniper was in this position?”

The instructor crossed his arms, frowning thoughtfully as he stared intently at the screen.

A teacher from the command specialization suddenly stood up, pulled up the map, zoomed in on a section, and marked several positions with red circles.

Pointing forcefully at the screen, he explained in a loud, rapid voice, “Because in this type of terrain, there are very few suitable sniping points nearby. Considering their direction of movement and Yan Shen’s need to provide cover for Cheng Feng, essentially only these two locations are the optimal choices!”

He traced a winding red line with his finger.

“He intended to clear the flank along this path. If Cheng Feng trusted Yan Shen’s ability and analyzed the options based on optimal outcomes, he would naturally assume Yan Shen was in this position. Even if Yan Shen hadn’t kept up, Cheng Feng could still flank from the side and launch an attack. This student really favors flanking tactics – very much in line with our military’s style! Although his shooting accuracy isn’t particularly high, his attack speed is fast, and his adaptability is even faster. Compared to the opposing students, he has the combat capability to hold his own!”

The student seemed partly convinced yet still doubtful and asked skeptically, “But how could he be sure Yan Shen would move to that lower position?”

The instructor rewound the footage once more.

During her maneuvers, Cheng Feng had been constantly observing her surroundings, causing the camera view to flip and shake incessantly – enough to make anyone dizzy.

Previously, the examiners had assumed she was simply being cautious, scanning for enemy activity. Now, they realized it might not be just that – she was likely gathering geographical intelligence.

When passing the intersection where the two sniping points converged, Cheng Feng stared into the depths of the desolate forest for a few extra seconds before turning and leaving.

This action gave the command specialization teacher immense confidence. His voice trembled with excitement as he enunciated each word with force, nearly cracking. “Because this point is close to the map’s red zone, and there’s a small patch of bare ground ahead! To safely relocate to the next sniping position from here would require taking a much longer detour! So it’s unsuitable!”

He pressed both hands on the table, his face flushed with enthusiasm, eyes gleaming brilliantly as he declared, “This isn’t someone for your infantry specialization – this is one for our command specialization!”

The head of the manual operations major, who had specially come early to watch the live drill broadcast, was momentarily stunned. His smile suddenly froze, and he retorted without regard for decorum. “That’s bullshit!”