Time was limited. After confirming the strategic direction, everyone headed straight for the White Team’s airdrop supply crate.
The students from both UMU and UFU followed their respective commanders, moving forward in a formation that could hardly be called a formation.
Though they were close in position, the line between them was clearly drawn.
Halfway there, Chen Huayue seized the moment to say, “Since we’ve decided to act together, shouldn’t we have a single overall commander? Otherwise, not only will the raid fail, but Tao Rui and his people will have a good laugh at our expense.”
The scattered chatter on the public channel died down. The UMU commander running at the front turned his head and cast a meaningful look back.
Chen Huayue said, “Among us, the one who proposes the plan usually takes command.”
The communicator fell silent for a few seconds. As they jumped over a narrow drainage ditch, the UMU commander gave his reply.
“Fine. Temporarily. On one condition – it must be fair.”
“Of course,” Chen Huayue said with a smile. “After the exercise is over, we should all have a meal together to celebrate.”
The UMU commander said leisurely, “Isn’t that bribery?”
“This is called a temporary strategic partnership, thank you very much. Don’t use such inelegant words – after all, we’re all educated people.”
The senior next to him said loudly, “Junior! Go link up with their data systems right now!”
Cheng Feng actually felt that 30 people were enough, and it didn’t really matter how UMU performed. But since they were willing to cooperate on their own initiative, having a few fewer people causing trouble was also fine.
…
Mr. Zhou had already broken into a triumphant, unabashed laugh.
“You see that? Young as they may be, they have a very deep understanding of our old, crafty ways!”
The difficulty level pre-set by the professional course instructor was around fifteen casualties. Tao Rui had solid skills, and with a bit of luck, he might even keep it under thirteen. Either way, the difference wouldn’t be huge.
The White Team had a ten-person numerical advantage – such a loss was absolutely worth a try. As for whether the Red Team could make good use of this airdrop opportunity to turn things around, no one had been willing to say for sure.
However, in the professional course instructor’s view, the most critical issue with opening the airdrop crate might not be the casualties, but rather the panic that sets in near the end when things spiral out of control.
When unexpected events come one after another, most people will inevitably develop a pessimistic mindset, which in turn affects their ability to make sound judgments.
A commander needs immense resilience under pressure – pressure that may come from teammates’ doubts, information overload, unforeseen changes in plans, or the convergence of all these stressors at once in a short period of time.
Many people think they can handle it; in reality, they just haven’t faced it yet.
Unable to stand Mr. Zhou’s smug look, another instructor remarked sarcastically, “She doesn’t even remember her own course instructor’s name. You think she’ll remember you? Why are you so excited about a stranger?”
Mr. Zhou’s face fell. He rubbed his chin, feeling somewhat displeased. After a moment, he snapped back, “Scram! I never told her my name in the first place!”
A student crouching behind encouraged him, “Have a little confidence. You cut her hair once – she’ll definitely remember you for life!”
Mr. Zhou chuckled twice, crossed his legs, and slouched unceremoniously. “Oh, is that so? Then when she comes back, I’ll have to give her another trim.”
…
Tao Rui stayed near the supply crate. He had already solved the sixth problem.
The first few problems had gone more smoothly than he had predicted, but instead of feeling relieved, he found himself growing increasingly uneasy.
A free lunch dropped from the sky might taste good, but it would never come without a cost – especially in the area within a hundred li of the base, where even a bird would have to nervously clamp its wings together as it flew by.
Tao Rui generally didn’t suppress his unease. Intuition had always proven highly useful on the battlefield.
During a brief pause while switching personnel, he discussed with the Second Military commander. “The Red Team might come for a surprise attack. How about your people come over and set up an ambush with us?”
The Second Military commander had a rough, raspy voice. The moment he spoke on the public channel, his words conjured a vivid image. “They’d skip opening the crate and come all the way over here to sneak-attack us? Are they so considerate of our forces that they’re offering themselves up for kills?”
“They have fewer people and are at a disadvantage, so they have to be more proactive than us.” Tao Rui knelt on one knee and made a hand gesture signaling the student in front to hold off on solving the next problem. He patiently explained to the Second Force commander: “Besides, opening the crate doesn’t require that many people. The bulk of their forces won’t just sit idle. There’s a good chance they’ll take this opportunity to harass our side while we’re solving the problems.”
The Second Military commander said bluntly, “What a coincidence – I was thinking the same thing. Perfect then. The enemy’s rear is currently exposed, and their commander isn’t there either. Let’s just push forward and take them out in one go!”
Tao Rui took a deep breath. The sound of his breathing alone conveyed the word speechless to everyone listening.
It felt like he was cursing, but not quite.
The Second Military commander believed his own reasoning was perfectly sound. After a brief silence, he lowered his voice slightly and said, “Your First Military, together with the Mobile University, has over fifty people in total, right? Even if the Red Team really does send most of their forces over, you can still hold them off. Besides, after you finish opening the crate, you’ll have thirty small supply boxes – your combat strength will be no lower than theirs. I’ll take my people and go around the back to capture their flag. If we succeed, great – everyone’s happy. If we fail, we can still harass them and tie down their movements. There’s no problem with this, right?”
Having the entire team just stand around guarding Tao Rui while he solved problems -that was just too strange. What if the Red Team didn’t come to ambush them at all? It would be a complete waste of resources. They had never agreed to make Tao Rui the absolute center of attention.
Tao Rui looked at the blinking red dots on the map. Since they had already moved past, it was pointless to question whether there was an issue or not.
Apart from the students guarding the flag and those solving the problems, he ended up gathering about thirty students he could actually command, positioning them all near the airdrop crate in a dispersed formation. They patrolled the middle section of the map and reported back on the situation at all times.
By the time he made it to the ninth problem, his uneasy premonition came true.
A scout at the front line reported back. “The Red Team is here. Quite a few of them… Well, well, UMU and UFU are holding hands – looks like they’ve established a fine cooperative relationship.”
Tao Rui was in the middle of reading a problem when he heard this. For a moment, he was distracted. By the time he regained focus, it was already too late. He hastily jotted down all the data in the problem, watching helplessly as the countdown hit zero – an explosion flashed across the sky, accompanied by a burst of fire.
The deafening roar of the blast exploded deep inside Tao Rui’s mind, jolting his already numbed nerves into a faint tremor. Perhaps due to the prolonged mental strain, as debris and gravel scattered through the air, his consciousness also fell victim to a dizzying, spinning illusion.
Tao Rui squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, a hazy mist blurred his vision. He raised a hand to wipe it away, only then realizing that his forehead was drenched in cold sweat, which had trickled into his eyes.
Someone in the channel said excitedly, “Almost there! Hold on just a little longer, and we’ll start our counterattack! Only two problems left. Once we loot the supplies, we’ll go straight to their base and blow it to pieces!”
Tao Rui suspected it might be more than just two problems, but he couldn’t say that. He did his best to maintain a calm tone and gave two instructions. “Stay spread out in case they have large-scale thermal weapons like directional explosive rounds. Organize the supply boxes on our side – make sure we stop them.”
“Don’t worry! Just focus on solving the problems. We’ve got your back!”
Tao Rui called a new teammate forward and opened the ninth problem. After inputting the answer, however, he didn’t continue right away. He shifted his half-squatting posture to the other leg, rubbed his sore muscles, and mentally steeled himself before exhaling two words in a breathy whisper: “Open it.”
The members of the problem-solving team were all nervous yet excited. They suspected the final problem might be especially difficult, but the thought that this suicidal ordeal was finally about to end lifted the chill from their bodies and made their limbs feel lighter.
Yet when the tenth problem appeared, their faces changed dramatically.
This problem was a computational one. Several of them took down the data, and the complete calculation alone took three to five minutes.
After finishing, they checked it twice, uneasily, confirming that no conditions had been omitted before entering their answer with bated anticipation.
But when they opened the problem again, they found that one of the conditions in the prompt had changed, rendering all subsequent calculation results invalid.
“How is that possible!” one member of the problem-solving team exclaimed, suppressing his voice so no one else could hear. “There’s no way we can finish this!”
A commotion broke out among those on the team channel. It felt as if their path to survival had been severed right in front of them – chilled from head to toe.
Tao Rui’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. He pressed the bridge of his nose and took two deep, heavy breaths before offering reassurance: “The question bank is limited, so there are bound to be repeats. The instructors didn’t drop these supplies to hand us an easy advantage, but they won’t cripple us either. Try a few more problems.”
One teammate laughed bitterly. “Damn, so we really are a suicide squad.”
Another said grimly, “Say something lucky, please. We’re already unlucky enough as it is!”
…
Cheng Feng was also sharing her tactical approach for the operation with her teammates.
“There’s nothing particularly special about it – just make sure you fire as quickly as possible. Take cover immediately after shooting, so you don’t get hit a second time. Don’t rush the problem-solving. Given your academic records, I trust that one or two seconds won’t make a difference. Now, let me demonstrate. To spread the risk, I’ll select four volunteers to act with me.”
Cheng Feng was fully confident in her dynamic vision and firing speed. She pushed up her heavy helmet and decided to use this opportunity – the chance to fire the first shot – to cement her superior position as both the overall commander and the team’s sole single operative.
The volunteers all came from the UFU elite squad.
Shen Dan, Chen Huayue, and another senior stood at different positions.
Under the expectant gazes of over fifty people, Cheng Feng signaled. The four quickly leaned out, scanning the roadside where light and shadow intertwined, searching for suitable targets.
The White Team really did love ambushes.
Not only that, but they had also mastered the crucial essence of the tactic: fire a blind shot first, accuracy be damned – worry about hitting later.
Of course, this once again confirmed Cheng Feng’s misfortune. Despite there being four targets, she was still the shiniest target in their eyes.
By the time Cheng Feng spotted the enemy’s position, the target had already aimed right at her location.
The sight of the black gun barrel made Cheng Feng’s heart skip a beat. Under normal circumstances, ducking back at that moment would have allowed her to dodge the shot. But given this game’s abnormal firing range, she ultimately only tilted her head back slightly, while her hands continued calmly and methodically aiming and firing.
The prompt [Under Attack] popped up in front of the problem screen a split second earlier.
I’m about to screw this up, Cheng Feng thought to herself. Leaning against the rock, she rapidly scanned the answer choices. Stimulated by the imminent threat of death, her mind became hyper-focused, and she recited the answer in just two seconds.
The bright red warning box actually disappeared. In its place, a new message appeared: [Ye Guicheng eliminated one enemy!]
Cheng Feng: “?!”
Say what you will about how this violated the “first come, first served” rule of the battlefield – it certainly adhered to the law of survival of the fittest.
No one else noticed the subtle detail. Shen Dan hadn’t even seen the target – she had pulled back the moment she heard gunfire. They all simply assumed that Cheng Feng had truly killed one enemy per second.
The group of seniors behind her were all boasting and hyping up Cheng Feng, putting on a show of support.
“Cheng Feng, you’re amazing!”
“The junior is a sharpshooter – truly the strongest single operative in the command department!”
“‘You kill one man every ten paces, and for a thousand miles you leave no trace!’ Cheng Feng, your shooting speed in this exercise is simply unmatched!”
Shen Dan also called out, “Boss.”
Cheng Feng’s feelings were a bit mixed. She announced the news – whether good or bad, she wasn’t sure – over the channel.
“It seems there’s a new rule. It doesn’t matter who hits the target first – it matters who answers the problem first. Actually, I was shot first just now.”
Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, trying to process the information. Only Shen Dan became especially excited, clenching her fist and saying, “I’m going to be a god!”
This was indeed good news for Shen Dan and the others – but only in one-on-one shootout situations.
“Everyone, stay alert. In chaotic firefights, the biggest danger is stray bullets,” Cheng Feng said. “We’re heading straight toward the airdrop supplies. Tao Rui is in there. The closer we get, the more the White Team will concentrate their forces to stop us. When that happens, don’t hold back – throw whatever grenades you have. Where’s our grenadier?”
