"Understood," Li Zhonglou opened his eyes and replied indifferently.
Chen Yong had been deliberately making him work harder these past two days, with training loads far exceeding those of Da Liu and Xiao Zhang. It was clearly a personal vendetta disguised as official duty. However, such retaliation was permissible within the Xiong Ying (Fighting Eagle) unit, so he had no complaints and could only endure it. Fortunately, these two days were almost over, and the matter would be settled today.
Fan Da had told him to speak up, but not how he should lose. It was time to settle old scores and new.
A playful expression crossed Li Zhonglou's face as he leaped from the bunk bed. After washing up, he followed Da Liu to the training ground where he had seen Liu Pinger test her skills. A crowd had already gathered around the training ground. News of Chen Yong's challenge to a new recruit had spread throughout Xiong Ying. Not only members from the fourth group but also from the other three groups, the disciplinary team, and the communications squad were present.
Liu Pinger was among them, accompanied by a beautiful woman, who turned out to be the cold and alluring woman whose shower he had peeked at that night. Additionally, a watchful and hostile gaze was fixed on him – it was Tang Ren from the disciplinary team. Many faces displayed schadenfreude.
"This kid, he looks so scrawny, like he'd fall over in a strong wind. Yet he dares to fight Chen Yong? Isn't that just asking for death?"
"Chen Yong is one of the Eight Great Experts. Although ranked last, he could probably take on ten sickly youngsters like that."
"I think some of you have issues with your intelligence. Don't forget, no matter how weak Li Zhonglou appears, he's still been accepted into Xiong Ying. I don't believe he's as frail as he looks."
Discussions erupted, and all eyes were on Li Zhonglou, many filled with disdain and mockery. Only a few people suspected Li Zhonglou might not be simple, but their words were dismissed by everyone else.
Li Zhonglou ignored the clamor and strode up to Chen Yong. Their eyes met, and with unyielding composure, he said, "We can begin."
Chen Yong gestured to the soldier assigned as the referee, signaling the start of the match. Xiong Ying's individual all-around competition consisted of seven events: physical fitness, tactics, shooting, psychology, combat, sniping, and camouflage. Since they were at the shooting range, the competition would naturally begin with shooting and sniping. The other events would be held elsewhere later.
"Check your weapons and prepare to begin!" the referee ordered.
Soon, Li Zhonglou held a Type 95 assault rifle. This was the standard issue weapon for Xiong Ying. Li Zhonglou had handled one before in the past couple of days but hadn't fired any live rounds. Therefore, he was essentially in the dark. However, since he was prepared to lose, he felt no psychological burden. He held the rifle and rested it on his shoulder. Despite his best effort, his stance was awkward and far from standard.
Many onlookers jeered, "This guy, he's supposed to fight Chen Yong?"
"This kid doesn't even know how to hold a gun. How did he get into Xiong Ying? Did he pull some strings?"
"Who knows? Maybe he's a wolf in sheep's clothing."
*Bang, bang, bang...*
Before their discussions could even finish, Li Zhonglou had already fired seven shots. After finishing, dark lines of sweat dripped from his forehead. His eyesight far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he had assumed shooting would be easy, requiring only aiming. To his surprise, every shot missed the target. He had watched Liu Pinger hit the 100-meter target so effortlessly last time, but now, with him holding the gun, it was like he'd been drinking.
Soon, the scorekeeper's voice rang out, and the entire crowd erupted in thunderous laughter.
"Damn, I thought he was playing the pig to eat the tiger, but it turns out he's just a complete waste!"
"Seven shots, all off-target. This guy is the absolute worst in Xiong Ying, a real dung beetle."
"I thought we were going to witness a fierce battle today, but we're just here to watch a joke. Chen Yong, you're too embarrassing to be fighting this kind of rubbish. Aren't you afraid of being laughed to death?"
Everyone looked at Li Zhonglou with newfound contempt, as if he were an idiot. Even Liu Pinger couldn't help but cover her forehead, utterly embarrassed. The cold beauty beside her regarded him with utter contempt and disdain. As a member of Xiong Ying, not knowing how to shoot a gun was preposterous; he was a complete failure.
"What do you mean? Are you doing this on purpose!" Chen Yong's eyes blazed, his face turning purple as he glared at Li Zhonglou and shouted. He was confident he could defeat Li Zhonglou, but he never expected Li Zhonglou to miss every shot. How could someone miss every single shot? This was clearly a deliberate act to provoke him, making him a laughingstock for everyone. He was furious.
"It's a misunderstanding... I really don't know how to shoot," Li Zhonglou said, feeling speechless. His hands were most familiar with antiques; this wasn't his first time holding a gun, but it was definitely his first time firing one. Logically, as long as one understood the principle of aiming, they should at least hit the target two or three times out of seven shots. But the problem was that Li Zhonglou thought it would be easy and went with his instinct. He hadn't realized his instinct, lacking any training, was completely inaccurate. Thus, the scene of missing all seven shots unfolded. As a result, Chen Yong believed he was doing it intentionally.
The more he explained, the more exasperated Chen Yong became. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fine, I want to see what tricks you're playing!" With that, he picked up his gun and fired seven shots himself. Every shot hit the bullseye. There was no suspense. However, no one applauded him. After all, as the eighth-ranked expert in Xiong Ying, hitting the bullseye every time was the most basic skill. Even with a moving target, he would surely achieve a perfect score. It failed to excite the crowd, especially since Li Zhonglou's previous performance had captured most of their attention, and they hadn't quite recovered. Consequently, Chen Yong's performance was met with a cold reception.
Seeing this, Chen Yong became even more convinced that Li Zhonglou was deliberately trying to steal the spotlight, his anger intensifying. The subsequent sniping event was even more telling. Chen Yong easily knocked a coin off a target 300 meters away, while Li Zhonglou nearly hit the observer hidden in a trench. The outcome was clear. Out of seven events, Li Zhonglou had lost two.
Chen Yong's anger was mixed with suspicion. He could no longer be certain whether Li Zhonglou was deliberately toying with him, throwing the match, or genuinely incompetent. His expression and mood were incredibly complex.
"Pinger, what's the background of this Li Zhonglou? Is he really a complete washout?" the cold beauty standing with Liu Pinger finally asked. The thought of her body being so thoroughly exposed by such a pathetic individual was a humiliation. How he ended up in Xiong Ying was a miracle. She was supposed to go to the office after the match according to Fan Da, where she would ask properly. Was he truly admitted through some back door?
"He... sigh, I don't know why this is happening..." Liu Pinger found it difficult to explain. She understood the entire situation from beginning to end. Fan Da wanted Li Zhonglou to lose, so Li Zhonglou had to lose. This was undoubtedly the reason he missed every shot and deliberately lost to Chen Yong. Otherwise, how could someone as god-like as he was not even know how to fire a gun? In her heart, Li Zhonglou was already as tall and imposing as a god. Gods were omnipotent, so it must be Li Zhonglou deliberately holding back.
"Hoo, only two more events. If I lose, so be it," Li Zhonglou thought, unaware of Liu Pinger's thoughts. He exhaled softly, his expression relaxed, and he asked, "What's next?"
"Tactical sand table!" Chen Yong replied testily. The two then proceeded to the command post of the fourth group, where a sand table had already been prepared.
"This battle simulates a special forces friendly match from a few years ago. The opponents were the US Navy SEALs," Chen Yong said, pointing to the sand table. "You will now represent the SEALs, and I will represent Xiong Ying."
"Whoever captures the flag first wins."
"Do you understand?" Chen Yong's words were simple and direct; anyone other than a raw recruit could understand them. Unfortunately, Li Zhonglou was that raw recruit. He had no concept of basic military knowledge, let alone understanding this. Of course, he wouldn't appear ignorant. He nodded and announced the start.
In less than five minutes, Li Zhonglou's command post was breached, the flag captured, and he was utterly defeated. At this point, even the jeering had ceased. Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered. Apart from Liu Pinger, no one understood what Li Zhonglou was doing. It was like child's play; his tactical command was riddled with flaws and easily broken. This wasn't a competition; it was an act of masochism. Three out of seven events were completed, and with this level of performance, he didn't deserve to be in Xiong Ying.
"Trash, get out of Xiong Ying!" Someone started the chant, and it immediately spread like wildfire. Shouts of "Li Zhonglou, get out of Xiong Ying!" rose from all directions.
Tang Ren watched with a cold smile. While he didn't know what Li Zhonglou was up to, he was certain Li Zhonglou wasn't the incompetent fool he appeared to be. If he were, why would Fan Da have sent Zhuzi to personally pick him up? However, he didn't know what other tricks Li Zhonglou had up his sleeve. The events most likely to favor him had all been lost. Of the remaining four events – physical fitness, combat, psychology, and camouflage – at least two were not his strong suit with his frail body. He was losing so spectacularly that, knowing Fan Da's temper, he would likely be furious and kick him out of Xiong Ying. However, he could only say the kid deserved it.
"Li Zhonglou, there's no need to continue the remaining matches. You've already lost for sure, so just obediently get out of Xiong Ying!" Chen Yong shouted, his face stern. It was too much; Li Zhonglou hadn't even treated him as an opponent. Throughout the entire process, he had been playing around carelessly, without any method, completely disarrayed. Chen Yong had lost interest in continuing. Winning against such a person offered no pride. In fact, he now deeply regretted getting so agitated and challenging this waste in the first place. It had turned him into a joke for the entire team.
"Don't rush, I haven't lost yet. Isn't it seven events to win four? You've only won three of mine," Li Zhonglou replied unconcernedly, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke lightly. What a joke; he wasn't intentionally losing, he genuinely didn't know how. Although the outcome seemed set, he didn't want to lose so ignominiously. Chen Yong was angry, but how could he be any better? If he didn't vent his frustration during the combat event, he would have to suppress it. Why torture himself?
"You still want to fight?" Chen Yong's eyes turned cold. "Fine, since you're so hell-bent on courting disaster, I'll oblige you!"
"Don't expect me to hold back. Someone like you, trash, is only fit to be my punching bag."