Chapter 54: A Long-Awaited Operation—the Missing Sniper

"Everyone! Quiet!" At last, the day had come for the new mission to be assigned, and every member of the Thunder Squad was in high spirits.

"This time, the research department has upgraded our mechs, but since the controls remain the same, I won’t go into detail. Also, we will not be joining forces with any other squad this time."

"No longer joining forces?" Mingchuan repeated calmly. "No matter, if a single squad can handle it, it shouldn’t be too difficult."

"That’s not it! The other squads have been assigned to different regions. Gale will still be handling the main front; we’re responsible for breaking through in southern India; Fire is defending the northern Russian line; Shadow is in East Asia. As for the two newly formed squads, Forest and Mountain, they’ll be spearheading offensives in Iran and Southeast Asia."

"Then, let’s depart! Destination: India!"

"It’s Sri Lanka!" Instructor Anthony corrected. "India is inaccessible at the moment. We’ll have to stay in Sri Lanka for a while, but don’t worry, there’s no fighting in Sri Lanka."

"A safe zone, then! No problem, let’s go!"

October 5, 2237 AD—Republic of Sri Lanka (former member state of the South Asian Alliance)—Ceylon Military Camp

"What’s going on? Those across from us aren’t regular Satans?" Mingchuan was suddenly shocked.

"No, this time we’re dealing with a gene that leaked due to Kaya’s departure. This gene is a hormone that accelerates plant growth and strengthens their survivability, but under the influence of the Satan Virus, it’s become an agent that hastens the transformation of plants," Anthony sighed. "Let me show you the Satan gathering point across the river." As Anthony was about to leave, he noticed only five people present. "That’s odd, where’s Winchester?"

"Winchester? I’ll go look for him, you guys go ahead!" Mingchuan offered as an excuse to leave, and no one suspected him.

"Eleven... twelve... thirteen..." On a hidden, abandoned old ship, someone was silently counting.

"Twenty... twenty-one..."

"Twenty-two! What are you doing?" Mingchuan appeared at the source of the voice.

"Captain, how did you know...?" To his surprise, the voice belonged to the missing Winchester.

"Keeping track of everyone’s whereabouts is a fundamental rule for me as captain." Mingchuan drew his pistol and fired a shot across the river.

"Twenty-three. Captain, was that luck?"

"That was skill. I know you’ve never been convinced by my marksmanship. How about this: I’ll use a pistol, and you use your sniper rifle. Let’s see who takes down more targets."

"Let’s start then!" Suddenly, the ship’s cabin erupted with loud gunfire. Mingchuan’s shooting speed was twice as fast as Winchester’s. Not only that, Mingchuan seemed to need no time to aim.

"One hundred and twenty. Sorry, Captain, I still couldn’t beat you." Winchester conceded before he had even finished.

"One hundred and ninety-eight... two hundred! Actually, your marksmanship is excellent—it’s just that you rely too much on your sniper rifle. Try matching my firing speed with a pistol." Mingchuan handed his pistol and five magazines to Winchester. In just a moment, all one hundred rounds from the five magazines hit the corresponding Satans.

"Not bad. I told you you could do it," Mingchuan encouraged Winchester with a smile.

"Captain, thank you. This helped me a lot."

"That’s for the best. In that case, I’ll give you this customized 5.56mm ‘RC-6’ military pistol as a keepsake. But don’t mention this to anyone." Mingchuan’s final hidden smile—what secret did it conceal?

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Author’s Note:

It’s been a long time since I updated. Here’s a new chapter for everyone (don’t be mad, I surrender, okay?). Finally got access to a computer—time to get writing!