A Letch Tricked into Joining the Army

Hill dragged Song Zhi to the training ground to fight in the morning, and Lu Yu hauled her to the shooting range to practice in the afternoon. Life couldn't have been more exhilarating.

Song Zhi could already handle Hill's various attacks with ease, and she could even try to snatch the pistol tucked behind his back, though she had never succeeded.

Lu Yu also taught Song Zhi a few underhanded moves that targeted an opponent's lower body.

Song Zhi looked at Hill's sinister grin and shook her head decisively. Beating Hill was important, but she only had one life. Victory was precious, but life was worth more. A person shouldn't court death by overestimating herself; after all, she wasn't the overpowered heroine of a wish-fulfillment story.

Frustrated by her lack of ambition, Lu Yu stepped in himself, swinging an iron fist at Hill to give her a live demonstration. The two muscular soldiers fought fiercely on the training ground, neither gaining the upper hand. Their fists whistled through the air, their momentum unstoppable.

Song Zhi stood to one side, watching with her mouth agape and silently congratulating herself on her wise choice. Hill had gotten serious, and his moves were lightning-fast, ruthless and deadly.

Lu Yu was no pushover either. He dodged nimbly and occasionally landed a vicious elbow on Hill. Of course, he didn't come away unscathed himself; he had just taken a flying kick from Hill head-on.

Amid the swirling dust, Hill dodged to the side, then swiftly counterattacked, moving as fast as a cheetah. Lu Yu didn't panic, fighting steadily, every punch backed by tremendous force. They traded blows, growing more excited the longer they fought, their eyes filled with nothing but a fierce desire to bring down their opponent.

Kelante leaned leisurely to one side, offering a comment now and then, as if the fight were nothing more than an entertainment show.

Finally, after a fierce exchange, both men stepped back several paces, panting heavily, satisfied smiles on their faces. The two of them had had a blast!

"It's lit!" Hill wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking as though he had gotten immense pleasure out of it.

Lu Yu rolled his neck, his bones cracking. "That felt good! After lying in a hospital bed for so long, I finally got to stretch my muscles."

The two of them were grinning like they were high even as they grimaced in pain. Song Zhi declared them both crazy!

Lu Yu turned his gaze to Song Zhi. "Now, it's your turn."

At those words, Song Zhi nearly lost her footing. She hurriedly waved her hands in refusal, but all that greeted her were teasing looks and the sound of approaching footsteps.

Fuck! These two sneaky bastards were coming for her!

She looked up behind them and suddenly shouted, "Lieutenant!"

The others turned at her shout, but Lai'en was nowhere to be seen.

Song Zhi seized the chance and took off. If she didn't run now, when would she?

"Shit! She ran!"

She tricked us! Lu Yu was the first to react and gave chase. Just as he was about to catch Song Zhi, she slid feetfirst into the women's changing room. She pointed at the ceiling above her and said, "Sergeant, there's a camera here..."

Lu Yu looked up at the camera and smiled sinisterly. "Fellow countrywoman, there are always places the cameras can't see. You're pretty good at creating a diversion!"

Kelante walked over and handed Song Zhi a cup of water, then grabbed Lu Yu and said, "Let her take a shower and change so we can go eat. She still has a lesson this afternoon."

"Heh, your backer's home, and now someone's protecting you. Feeling pleased with yourself, huh? You even dared to run!" Hill leaned against the corridor wall and lit a cigarette, narrowing his eyes as he stared coldly at Song Zhi inside the changing room. He looked dangerous.

Song Zhi hurriedly took a few sips of water to calm her nerves.

The people of that mysterious Eastern power, internationally recognized as a "warrior nation," had rarely come into contact with guns before the nuclear explosion. Yet the methods and techniques of shooting were already engraved in the blood of every one of its citizens, never to fade! Even if, at first, they didn't know where the safety was, or sometimes couldn't even tell the sound of ammunition from fireworks.

When Song Zhi fired an M1911 pistol at a stationary target and scored seven tens and three nines, Hill and Kelante were stunned.

After all, Song Zhi had never received formal shooting training. It was truly unexpected that she could score so well.

"Beautiful! We're all sharpshooters, each bullet takes down an enemy..." Lu Yu couldn't help singing aloud.

"We're all flying soldiers, no matter how high the mountains or how deep the waters..." Song Zhi emptied the magazine, deftly reloaded and chambered a round, happily humming along.

"Oh, little kitty, impressive. Have you served in the military before?" Hill walked over and bent down to peer at Song Zhi as she assembled a gun.

"Mm-hmm. I've served three times. I served three years in CrossFire, then transferred to Game for Peace for two years. In the end, because I was a letch, I was tricked into joining Call of Duty, where I served until the nuclear explosion..." Song Zhi shrugged. After checking the barrel, she released the safety again and pulled the trigger. The M1911 pistol had a flaw: it jammed easily, especially on the first round.

Hill had never heard of any of the units Song Zhi had named. Could the mysterious Eastern power once have had an unofficial shadow army? He looked at Lu Yu questioningly.

Lu Yu merely bent over, clutching his waist as he roared with laughter, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. "Hahahaha... Call of Duty?! Tricked a letch into joining the army! And whose soldier are you?"

"Keegen and Ghost." Song Zhi fired every round in her magazines.

"Me too." Lu Yu gave Song Zhi a lecherous sidelong glance, then turned and put an arm around Hill to explain. "She served in the two-dimensional world, CODM. A veteran internet addict!"

After hearing that, Hill and Kelante also smiled helplessly.

"Naughty bad girl." Kelante reached out and rubbed the top of Song Zhi's head. "Straighten your arm, and don't point your elbow outward. A sniper could shoot right through your arm if you hold it like that. Did you miss me while I was away from home?"

He came over and subtly edged Lu Yu aside, standing behind Song Zhi and wrapping both arms around her. One large, strong hand enveloped hers as he quietly guided her by her ear.

Song Zhi could feel the light calluses and scorching heat of his palm, as well as Kelante's strong heartbeat against her back. She said softly, "Mm, I did..."

"Mm, I missed you too... But for now, focus, little one. Look at the target ahead, steady your breathing, and keep your arm straight and firm..."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Kelante held Song Zhi's hand and guided her as she pulled the trigger. Bullets shot rapidly from the barrel, all ten hitting the bullseye. Fast, precise and fierce!

"Kelante, you're amazing!" Song Zhi's admiration was heartfelt, and her voice rang with excitement.

"Thank you. Your praise makes me very happy."

Kelante released Song Zhi and smiled slightly, as elegant as ever, an elegant god of death on the battlefield.

Lu Yu, who had been upstaged, was a little jealous. He said disdainfully, "Fellow countrywoman, you really haven't seen much of the world. We can all do that little trick of the second lieutenant's. But guess why the lieutenant assigned me to teach you shooting?"

"Why?" Song Zhi clearly didn't know.

"Hmph! Because I'm a sniper. Only the best snipers in the world can be called gun kings." Lu Yu hoisted the sniper rifle beside him onto his shoulder, his gaze icy.

Kelante chuckled under his breath. He shook his head at Song Zhi and said with a smile, "All right, let's not interrupt Mr. Gun King's lesson." With that, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Song Zhi's lips. "Come home early."

Kelante left, taking the bothersome Hill with him. As Hill departed, he raised an eyebrow teasingly and said to Song Zhi, "Good luck, little kitty!"

Only Lu Yu the sniper and Song Zhi the rookie trainee remained at the shooting range.

"Mr. Gun King, can we continue the lesson now?" Song Zhi looked at Lu Yu's dark expression. She didn't understand why his mood had suddenly changed when everything had been fine.

With the sniper rifle on his back, Lu Yu strode over, blocked Song Zhi's path and pinned her against the bulletproof glass door. He used one knee to part her legs and pressed his waist between her knees, his long, narrow eyes fixed on her lips.

His tactically gloved fingers gently rubbed Song Zhi's tightly pressed lips until they turned red. Only then did he stop.

"Tell me, did you miss me while I was away? And... this corner is a camera blind spot!"