The gunfire had ceased, leaving only the lingering scent of gunpowder hanging in the cold morning air.
âUnload!â came the sharp command from the supervising officers.
In perfect synchrony, the recruits moved. Magazines were ejected, chambers checked, bolts pulled back with a crisp metallic snapâan effortless sequence drilled into them through weeks of repetition.
âOn your feet!â
A chorus of boots snapped together as the recruits rose in unison, standing at attention.
âReport the targets!â
The range officers, stationed at the distant shooting boards, began calling out the results.
âTarget Oneâseventy-eight points!â
âTarget Twoâsixty-nine points!â
âTarget Threeâmissed entirely!â
Laughter rippled through the recruits. A clean miss. Ten rounds fired, not a single one hitting the targetâthat took a special kind of âtalent.â All eyes turned toward the unfortunate soldier standing at position three, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
âTarget Fourâeighty-one points.â
Chen Xiwa grinned, puffing up slightly. That was a solid score. He shot a glance at Zhuang Yan and Lin Yi, eager to see how they had performed.
âTarget Fiveâseventy-one points!â
âTarget Sixâninety-nine points!â
A murmur spread through the ranks. Ninety-nine was exceptional. Chen Xiwaâs jaw slackened as he turned to Zhuang Yan, who was licking his lips, smugness evident in his expression.
âThatâs insane! Did you train for this?â
Zhuang Yan chuckled. âUsed to be on my schoolâs shooting team.â
Chen Xiwa nodded in understanding. âFigures. That explains it!â
But before they could continue their whispered conversation, the next announcement stunned the entire range into silence.
âTarget Sevenâone hundred points.â
It was as if thunder had cracked overhead. Every recruit, every instructor, even the veteran soldiers turned their heads toward Lin Yi. Ten shots. Ten bullseyes. That wasnât human. Even among trained marksmen, a perfect score in the first live-fire exercise was unheard of. A hundred-meter fixed target, ten rounds fired, all dead center. For reference, a passing score was between 60 to 68 points, 70 to 88 was good, and anything above 90 was considered excellent.
Zhuang Yanâs ninety-nine points had already surpassed most seasoned veteransâyet somehow, Lin Yi had achieved perfection. Sergeant Zheng Sanpao, usually an impenetrable wall of discipline, furrowed his brows deeply. He handed his binoculars to a nearby officer and strode toward the recruits, eyes fixed on Lin Yi and Zhuang Yan.
âGet me a sniper rifle,â he ordered. âYes, Sergeant!â One of the range officers sprinted off to comply. Reaching into his pocket, Zheng Sanpao pulled out two coins and held them up between his fingers. His gaze flicked to Zhuang Yan.
âCan you hit this?â
Zhuang Yanâs confidence wavered for a fraction of a second. His lips pressed together as he studied the small, silver disc in Zheng Sanpaoâs palm.
Before he could answer, Lin Yi spoke first.
âYes,â he said simply.
The absolute certainty in his voice was chilling. Zheng Sanpaoâs expression remained unreadable. He turned toward Chen Xiwa.
âPrivate, take these and pin them to the targets.â
Chen Xiwa hesitated before nodding. He hurried downrange, careful with every step as he placed the tiny coins on the wooden target board. By the time he jogged back, the sniper rifle had arrived.
âReport!â The range officer handed over the weapon with a crisp salute.
Zheng Sanpao accepted the rifle, its weight familiar in his hands. It was a Type 85 sniper rifle, a Chinese-designed version of the Soviet Dragunov SVD, typically used by border patrol units and infantry sharpshooters.
He passed the rifle to Zhuang Yan.
âThis is your last chance to back out.â
Zhuang Yan straightened his shoulders. âIâll do it.â
âIf you miss, you owe me two hundred push-ups,â Zheng Sanpao added, voice flat.
Zhuang Yan didnât flinch. He settled into position, steadying the 85-type sniper rifle against his shoulder. His breath slowed as he scanned the field, his left eye closing as his right locked onto the scope. A faint breeze rustled the grass near the target. Zhuang Yan adjusted instinctively, shifting the barrel ever so slightly to compensate.
The shot rang out, echoing across the field. The tiny coin vanished from the target board. A heartbeat later, the recruits erupted into cheers and applause. âBeautiful shot!â âThat was insane!â Zhuang Yan grinned victoriously, wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow. But Zheng Sanpao remained unimpressed.
âNot bad,â he said coolly, stepping forward. âBut nothing special. Get up.â
Zhuang Yan stood, his breath still heavy from concentration.
Now, all eyes turned to Lin Yi. The atmosphere shifted. Even the veteran soldiers leaned forward slightly. Unlike Zhuang Yan, Lin Yi showed no sign of tension. He didnât even glance at the sniper rifle on the ground. Instead, he lifted his chin toward a nearby range officer.
âPass me a QBZ-95.â
A murmur ran through the soldiers. That was an assault rifle. Not a sniper rifle. The supervising officer hesitated and looked toward Zheng Sanpao for confirmation.
âGive it to him,â the sergeant said, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
The rifle was handed over. Lin Yi loaded a fresh magazine, and chambered a round. He didnât lie down; he didnât crouch; he didnât even take aim properly. He simply raised the gun from a standing position and fired.
One sharp, clean shot.
Silence.
Every head snapped toward the target. The second coin was gone. Not hitâobliterated. For several long seconds, no one spoke.
Then, a sharp, collective inhale rippled through the soldiers. This wasnât just skilled marksmanship. This was something beyond comprehension. Zhuang Yan stood frozen. He had needed a sniper rifle, a scope, and perfect concentration to hit the first coin. Lin Yi had done it with a standard-issue assault rifle, in a split-second, while standing upright. This wasnât human.
On the distant hillside, Battalion Commander Miao Yidao watched through his binoculars, his usually composed expression showing a rare flicker of disbelief. Beside him, Lieutenant Chen Guotao exhaled sharply.
âCommander⦠thatâs not normal,â he muttered. Miao Yidaoâs fingers tightened around the binoculars.
âI know,â he said.
A slow smile spread across his lips.
âThis kid is the real deal.â