Top Warzone Analyst Chapter 9

The team’s communication channel was filled with a cacophony of footsteps, shouts, and the clashing of firearms, causing noticeable delays in their communication.

The young captain shouted twice, but those in the thick of the battle couldn’t maintain their composure. With no time to regroup, he took the lead, guiding his squad in a flanking maneuver, attempting to overwhelm Yan Shen with sheer numbers.

Before long, the chaotic gunfire in the background suddenly ceased.

Holding his breath, someone lowered his voice and asked nervously, “Is he… gone?”

“What does that mean? What do we do now? Should we retreat while we can?”

The silence that fell was eerily abrupt. The captain hesitated, failing to issue orders promptly, leaving the team wavering between pursuit and retreat.

The young man also sensed this wouldn’t work. He halted, leaning against a tree as he pondered their next move.

Before he could form a coherent plan, another voice – rough and male – burst out almost in a roar. “Shit! He’s coming this way!”

That piercing cry exploded over their heads like thunder. The raw terror in their comrade’s voice spread the same fear like wildfire. A shadow fell over everyone’s hearts; subconsciously, they had already begun to see Yan Shen as an invincible opponent.

Every word that followed only sharpened that invisible dread.

“His aim is terrifyingly accurate!”

“Don’t just run! We have the numbers!”

“What are you scrambling for? How can you hit anything while running? Don’t panic and lose formation!”

“Did you even see where the target was? What are you shooting at? Are you trying to blind-fire a sniper rifle at this range?”

At this distance, the lingering echoes of gunfire were still faintly audible.

The captain stared in shock toward the depths of the woods. The squad members behind him also lifted their heads, standing frozen in place, bewildered.

The unit had already fallen into disarray. Amid the shrill curses of one soldier, the captain finally jolted awake and barked a sharp order. “Fall back! Everyone, fall back and regroup immediately!”

The line of engagement rapidly dissolved. There was no formation, no tactics – it was a near rout, a frantic retreat.

Watching the battlefield fall silent once more, Yan Shen stowed his rifle, preparing to find a new sniper position, and didn’t forget to praise. “Cheng Feng, well done.”

Jiang Linxia seized a moment to tease. “Did you sell the kid off? How much per pound? That’s not right – we’re all respectable people here. Anything less than a one-for-ten trade would be a loss.”

Yan Shen replied, “He’s infiltrated the enemy camp. It’s not convenient for him to talk.”

On their end, the background was equally tense, filled with the storm of gunfire, yet the few of them chatted with the ease of a casual conversation.

Xiang Yunjian said, “Pay attention to protecting the mental health of adolescents. A combat robot… probably has the straightforward logic of an engineering-minded straight guy? They might be easily hurt.”

Yan Shen, seemingly lost in thought, remarked meaningfully, “A bit difficult.”

Jiang Linxia let out an “Eh?” and asked, “Why are you smirking so slyly?”

Yan Shen corrected him, “It’s Cheng Feng.”

Cheng Feng defended herself, “I wasn’t smiling.”

Jiang Linxia said, “See, even he has to step in to debunk it! Aren’t you ashamed of slandering a robot?”

Yan Shen lowered his voice, confirmed his field of view once more, crouched down, and set up his rifle before adding, “I meant Cheng Feng is the sly one.”

This time, Cheng Feng didn’t respond.

Ten minutes later, the three squads regrouped. A headcount revealed six missing.

The flanking tactic had looked fierce as a tiger, but the results were worse than 0–5.

The group hung their heads, slumping dejectedly against the trees in gloomy silence, their morale shattered.

The young man with the buzz cut looked at Cheng Feng again, his gaze now entirely different, and asked with mixed emotions, “Who are you, man – a prophet or just cursed?”

The captain also propped himself up and asked, “How did you guess so accurately?”

Cheng Feng shrugged.

The captain licked his dry lips, a bitter taste filling his mouth. He punched his thigh in frustration and growled, “This doesn’t make sense. Those guys from UFU are just… unreal. I swear they’re cheating.”

A teammate nearby retorted impatiently, “What’s the point of saying that now?”

“They’re both referees and test-takers. Who cares if they cheat? The real question is, how are we supposed to fight back?”

“He’s not just carrying a sniper rifle. He’s got a pistol for close combat too. He waited until we got close on purpose to throw us off rhythm. We tried to sneak up, but he was already there, waiting for us all along.”

The captain scratched his head, irritated. “Can the gap between people really be this huge?”

Meanwhile, Cheng Feng slid her hand into her pocket, fished around, and pulled out another piece of fruit candy.

The buzz-cut youth caught sight of it and exclaimed loudly, “How can you be eating candy now?!”

Everyone turned to look.

Cheng Feng hesitated for a long while, then reluctantly fished out a few more candies.

She picked through them and handed over her least favorite flavor – strawberry.

The buzz-cut youth replied, torn between laughter and exasperation, “Thanks, I guess? But I don’t need you to share!”

Cheng Feng swiftly withdrew her hand.

The young man pressed a palm to his forehead. “Seriously? Are you just here to fill a slot? Why do you have zero sense of urgency?”

If Cheng Feng’s face hadn’t been so thoroughly concealed, the guy would surely have seen the pity written all over it.

If I were any more urgent, she thought, this whole team would already be wiped out.

Clutching at his last shred of hope, the buzz-cut guy cleared his throat and asked over the public channel, “Hey, has any brave soul actually managed to take out one of those senior students on the other side? How many enemies are we even facing now?”

For a moment, no one answered.

After a brief pause, a young man’s voice came through, cold and mocking. “What are you smoking?”

The buzz-cut youth felt a pang in his chest and sighed. “We just lost six in that last wave. Our side must have lost, what, thirty people already?”

The reality was actually a bit worse.

These students had been scattered and randomly assigned to the edges of the map, while He Jueyun and his team had started out grouped together in their own carefully chosen, optimal positions.

Cheng Feng had led Yan Shen to sweep the northern front, and with the inside help from the last wave, they had already taken out over ten people.

Meanwhile, He Jueyun’s trio, relying on seamless coordination, had rapidly pushed outward. By securing several key strategic points, they prevented the scattered students from regrouping.

These students lacked much real combat experience. Their stamina, skills, and tactical awareness fell far short of regular military university cadets. Without cohesion, they were little more than a disorganized rabble.

Currently, only half the students remained on the field. Not counting Cheng Feng, the mole, that made 51 in total.

Judging by the progress of He Jueyun’s team, that number was still steadily shrinking.

When the fighting power is this lopsided, the exercise loses all sense of suspense.

The discussion in the meeting room gradually quieted down. As everyone switched between different camera views, a general consensus emerged: among this batch of students, there was no prodigy capable of turning the tide, nor even an outstanding leader.

Those who could rally others couldn’t manage them effectively from a distance – which was hardly different from everyone fighting on their own.

With such a large numerical advantage yet such a lopsided outcome, this wasn’t what the examiners had hoped to see.

Of course, the tone of the match itself played a role. In an atmosphere thick with panic and dwindling reason, the students’ adaptability and combat effectiveness were inevitably constrained.

A closer analysis revealed that Cheng Feng, the insider, was also a key factor. Her disruptive presence within the ranks shattered what little confidence the students had left.

And her identity was deeply misleading. Initially, considering she was a hands-on mech pilot with little actual combat strength, the idea was to let her experience the match and see where she might fit. No one expected her to skip merrily over to the other side and stir the pot.

It really was just bullying.

Watching her sit on the ground, muddling through and practically wearing a sign that said “Not my problem,” even the instructors in the meeting room were starting to lose patience.

The 190cm-tall, burly instructor was still dryly praising her. “He really is an outstanding manual operations mech pilot. Look, he’s patient, not aggressive or competitive, and gets along well with the group. His lack of initiative might just mean he doesn’t care for human intrigue.”

The admissions officer pondered for a long moment, a flicker of interest crossing his face. He tapped the table and said, “Tell Cheng Feng his new mission is to take out all four members of UFU. From now on, he’s on the same side as the test-takers.”

The instructor responded excitedly, “Got it!”

The manual operations specialization teacher felt a twinge of unease. He wanted to say, He’s not cut out for this! He can’t possibly do something so shameless!

But the old fox from the command department across the table had been sitting there, calm as a rock, so he held his tongue. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, surrounded by the eager anticipation of the others, he muttered quietly, “Don’t test his humanity like this. He just… lacks those worldly desires.”

…

Amidst the deathly quiet of the lull, Cheng Feng’s headset crackled with the instructor’s message.

“Faction change. Cheng Feng, your new objective is to eliminate the four UFU members. Your side’s situation is currently quite critical. Do you have confidence in leading them out of this crisis?”

Cheng Feng remained silent as usual, but the hand wiping down her rifle noticeably quickened, and her previously slightly lowered head lifted a little.

Then she rolled up her sleeves another notch, picked up her rifle, and stood.

The few people around her looked up, shooting her a puzzled glance before turning away again.

The captain pulled himself together and tried once more to rally the group. “We can’t just sit here and wait. Our earlier attempts just lacked preparation. My mistake – I underestimated the enemy. This time, we’ll learn from our experience, take the lessons to heart, and focus on being careful, careful, and even more careful. Nothing will go wrong again!”

Cheng Feng raised a hand, stopping him. “That won’t work.”

Her mechanical voice carried a chilly, detached quality, and in that moment, it struck the captain nearby as downright provocative.

Cheng Feng continued firmly, “You haven’t grasped the key point.”

“Where have I missed it?” the captain retorted, annoyed but holding his temper in check – after all, she’d been right twice before. “Overwhelming them with numbers, surrounding them from all sides – isn’t that correct?”

“You’ve grasped it, but not completely,” Cheng Feng said. “Mobilizing the strength of the group is essential. But how to wield that strength – that’s the real key.”

Her height, sandwiched among the group, gave her a comical, sparrow-among-cranes appearance – especially with the hem of her oversized coat hanging down past her thighs.

Yet it was also that peculiar voice of hers, impossible to read, that lent her an inexplicable air of credibility.

A surge of unprecedented motivation welled up in Cheng Feng. She patted her chest and declared, “Believe in me. Listen to me.”

The captain felt things were spiraling out of control. “Why should we trust you?”

“Because I…” Cheng Feng, who wasn’t skilled at lying, said with a hint of shyness, “…am exceptionally kind-hearted.”

Everyone: “??”

Cheng Feng announced generously, “I’m willing to share my map with you and teach you how to locate their sniper.”

As she spoke, she tugged her collar down slightly and flashed them an utterly sincere smile.

She carried not a single ounce of guilt for betraying her side.

The 190cm-tall, burly instructor: “…”

Damn it, robots are getting a bad name because of this. He almost wanted to call the police on behalf of all robots.

The command department teacher, however, wasn’t worried at all anymore. In fact, he felt a strange sense of kinship.

One glance is enough. Cheng Feng was born to be one of theirs – a command department person through and through.