Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 8

Two men past their prime were about to have a public shouting match. They had already resorted to slamming tables and glaring at each other, and just as the quarrel was escalating to the next level, the admissions office director stepped in and stopped them.

“Enough arguing. Choosing a major should be based on the student’s own wishes. Your bickering won’t change anything. For now, focus on watching the exercise.”

“He backstabbed me!” protested the instructor of the manual operations specialization indignantly. “When we met this morning, he even congratulated me, saying our department would gain another strong candidate – someone we might even see in this year’s league matches. And now he’s become one of yours in the command specialization? Is your department so short on people that you have to poach from ours? Have you no shame?”

The instructor from the command specialization remained perfectly calm. Not only did he deny any prior agreement, but he also displayed the irritatingly smug attitude characteristic of his department. With a reassuring smile, he said, “Take it easy. Life is full of unpredictability.”

The fact that the Manual Operations instructor didn’t immediately hurl his shoe at the other man’s face left the observing officer somewhat impressed by his restraint.

A burly man standing 1.9 meters tall truly knew when to bend and when to stand firm.

And the shamelessness of the Command Department was, as always, living up to its reputation.

The Manual Operations instructor took a few deep, heavy breaths, then sat back down with a flushed face and tense neck, clutching his arms as he shot a sidelong glare at his colleague across the room.

Arguing with him here was pointless. Ordinary people could hardly adapt to a treacherous place like the Command Department, let alone someone as inexperienced and straightforward as Cheng Feng – a child still naive about the ways of the world.

“He isn’t suited for it,” the Manual Operations instructor insisted repeatedly. “He doesn’t have the same twisted, calculating nature as humans.”

After all, Cheng Feng was just a robot!

The Command Department instructor remained all smiles as he responded lightly, “I believe that is human nature.”

The head of the admissions office felt a buzzing headache coming on but was already accustomed to the shallow camaraderie among these people. He bit back his words and stayed silent.

Let the storm arrive a little later – he was getting too old for this.

He pointed at the screen, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Switch the view back to Yan Shen’s feed.”

Everyone quickly shifted their attention to the display.

Cheng Feng’s streak of good luck seemed to have run out – she had encountered a six-person squad.

The squad was already somewhat organized, their movements and coordination far more disciplined than the scattered soldiers she had faced earlier.

Due to her physical limitations, Cheng Feng’s individual combat ability wasn’t particularly strong. Without a manually operated mech, even with Yan Shen covering for her from behind, facing a many-against-one conflict still posed a significant risk.

Cheng Feng’s forward advance came to a halt. Hunched over, she crouched behind a tree trunk, observing the enemy cautiously with her gun held tight and her finger resting on the trigger.

The burly 1.9-meter-tall instructor hurriedly spoke up first, trying to stamp Cheng Feng as one of their own in the Infantry track. “This is what a duel between infantry looks like!”

On the other side, the bespectacled instructor from the Command Department merely adjusted his glasses, sensing there was more to the situation.

Just as everyone was speculating whether Cheng Feng would put up a desperate fight or temporarily retreat to avoid confrontation, she suddenly raised her gun and fired a shot into the air.

Both on and off the screen, everyone was stunned.

Immediately after, Cheng Feng fired another shot into the air, then slowly extended a hand from behind the tree and waved. Only after confirming it was safe did she cautiously peek out.

Though her face was hard to make out, her outfit and height made it clear she wasn’t a student from the United Federation University.

The leader of the group relaxed his guard and said, “Whoa, it’s just a student?”

Cheng Feng stood still, holding her gun with one arm, and made a “danger, no entry” hand signal toward them.

A buzz-cut guy on the side asked in confusion, “What does that mean? Are there seniors ahead?”

Cheng Feng nodded.

Then, she bent down, crouched low to the ground, and cautiously approached the group while constantly glancing around as if on high alert. Her performance was utterly convincing.

The Manual Operations instructor: “…”

He rubbed the stubble on his chin, keeping a straight face as he remarked, “He’s truly showing the qualities of our Infantry track – fearless in the face of challenges, calm under pressure. If he can win, he fights; if not, he joins them. Using the information gap between both sides to dismantle the enemy from within.”

The instructor rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: Really? I don’t buy it.

The six on the other side stared intently at Cheng Feng’s movements, growing increasingly impatient with her slow pace. The captain waved a hand, signaling her to hurry over.

Cheng Feng then gathered momentum in her steps and leaped forward with all her might.

The direction of her jump was close to the buzz-cut guy’s hiding spot. The young man leaned half his head out, curious to see what was happening with her.

Suddenly, the sound of a bullet cutting through the air echoed. The buzz-cut guy heard the simulated gunshot from his communicator, so close it felt right by his ear. Shaken, he thought he was done for.

Only after throwing himself to the ground and not hearing a “killed in action” notification did he belatedly realize the shot had likely whizzed just past his cap, missing his life by mere millimeters.

Seeing there really was an ambush, the others hurriedly ducked back behind cover.

Cheng Feng shouted from nearby, “Save me!”

But in the split second when danger struck, no one paid attention to her plea.

From reloading to firing again, there was a brief pause.

When the second shot rang out, Cheng Feng – with astonishing physical control – came to an abrupt halt, pivoted sharply, and shifted her weight sideways. In a flash, half her body was already tucked behind a rock, squeezed right next to the buzz-cut guy.

A red light representing the bullet landed near her feet, lingered for a second, then vanished.

The buzz-cut guy, still shaken, patted his chest and let out a long, slow breath. Eyes closed, he muttered, “A narrow escape. Lucky.”

In Cheng Feng’s right earpiece came Yan Shen’s amused laugh. “No need to thank me. Good teamwork.”

It wasn’t good teamwork.

For a moment, Cheng Feng suspected he had actually wanted to kill her.

After the danger passed, even the air seemed to grow still.

The wind in the desolate woods wasn’t fierce – it carried the scent of decaying autumn vegetation and drifted slowly through the trees.

Cheng Feng lifted her cap and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

Several of them leaned back against cover, those close enough able to see each other.

Their captain craned his neck, eyeing Cheng Feng as he asked, “How did you get added in? I thought only students who crossed the line could join this exercise. Which high school are you from?”

Cheng Feng brushed the dust off her pants, not answering his question.

The young man thought she was upset he hadn’t saved her earlier, dismissing it as childish behavior not worth fussing over. He waved a hand and said, “Forget it. If you want to stick with us, you have to follow orders. Otherwise, leave on your own.”

Cheng Feng nodded.

The captain continued, “That senior on the other side is probably a sniper. Seems like the seniors are moving separately. A few other squads ran into combinations of the other three.”

The buzz-cut guy wondered aloud, “Why would a sniper go solo? What’s the point?”

The captain snorted, “Who knows with them.”

Cheng Feng blended in seamlessly, quietly listening as the group discussed tactics.

The buzz-cut guy nudged her with his elbow, inviting her in a friendly tone, “Join our comms channel first. To prevent information from being intercepted, we always set up squad channels in person. We’ve already linked up with a few other squads. The main public channel isn’t useful right now.”

Cheng Feng switched to the nearby squad channel. After a brief crackle of static, she heard several people exchanging coded signals.

“How’s every squad doing?”

“All clear here, no ambushes encountered.”

“Second squad’s clear too.”

Cheng Feng asked, “Have you gathered three squads?”

The buzz-cut guy was briefly taken aback by her robotic voice, then replied, “Yeah.”

Not far away, the squad captain was keeping a wary eye on the situation ahead, concerned that Yan Shen might take the chance to reposition. At the same time, he quickly relayed information to the other two squads. “We have a rough idea of the sniper’s location. While we can’t pinpoint the exact coordinates, there aren’t many suitable sniping spots nearby. We can test them one by one and flank him.”

He then verified each squad’s current position and mapped out the flanking route.

These students were all locals of Post-war Star. Though they didn’t often come to this desolate forest, they were still more familiar with the terrain than Yan Shen and his team. After receiving the notification last night, they had studied the map carefully and now felt a sense of strategic command.

Cheng Feng said softly, “You’re planning to flank him? That sniper is pretty skilled. Be careful he doesn’t pick you off one by one.”

The squad captain brushed it off casually. “He doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head. If he’s watching us, he can’t watch them. We have three squads – enough to split his attention. As long as we take out one of them, it’s a solid win.”

Cheng Feng said, “Oh…”

The squad captain considered for a moment before issuing the order. “The western squad, advance now. You should be in the sniper’s blind spot. Once you confirm his exact position, take him out if you can. If not, I’ll have Squad Two back you up from behind!”

Suddenly, Cheng Feng spoke up, “I don’t think the western side of the mountain forest is suitable for a flanking route. The middle of the entire map sinks like a basin, and the western terrain is relatively low. If the sniper spots their movement, it would be easy for him to break through from a higher position.”

The squad captain turned his head and fixed a silent gaze on her.

“Understood, following orders.” Cheng Feng raised both hands innocently. “I was just sharing my own little observation – not trying to contradict you.”

The squad captain, who had been riding high on confidence, felt his momentum deflate after being interrupted twice. He thought to himself that having someone in the squad who sowed doubt really was a morale killer – this short newcomer seemed to come with a built-in debuff.

He ignored Cheng Feng and spoke firmly, “Western squad, advance.”

Cheng Feng pulled her cap lower and adjusted the voice synthesizer around her neck.

Two minutes later, the squad channel erupted with groans and shouts.

“Holy crap, holy crap! We’ve been spotted! Xiao Bei’s out!”

“What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to be in his blind spot? How did he swing around so fast?”

“The guy’s aim is insane! Two of our guys are down!”

“Don’t panic! Stay together – panic makes it worse! Fall back for now!”

“There’s barely any cover around here – how do we fall back? Don’t turn your backs on a sniper!”

“What’s happening?” The squad captain nearly jumped to his feet, his expression darkening instantly. He ordered, “Squad Two, move in for support now!”

Cheng Feng said casually, “Watch out in case he circles back around.”

Irritated, the squad captain snapped back loudly, “He’s not that good! We pin him down from the front, pick him off from the side. He’s just one guy – does he have two pairs of eyes? Let’s move!”

Cheng Feng blinked.

Well, you never know.

Life is full of unpredictability.