Chapter 374: Becoming a Qualified Long-Range Sniper

Chapter 374: Chapter 374: Becoming a Qualified Long-Range Sniper

Xiaqing patrolled her territory, returning once again to the North Gate on the High Slope. When she saw that pesky Brain Domain Evolution Wolf—the one that had passed through the North Gate countless times—staring thoughtfully at the gate, her eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.

"Broken Waist, this door isn’t up for trade."

The Broken Waist Wolf turned to look at Xiaqing, a thoughtful expression on its face.

Xiaqing’s tone was resolute. "No trade. I’m taking a medicinal bath tonight. If you and the Queen want to join, you’re welcome to come."

’A wooden door on a Wolf Cave was already outlandish enough. Installing an automatic one? That would be like the mother of outlandish opening the door for outlandish—the height of outlandishness.’

The opportunity to soak in the medicinal bath was something the Broken Waist Wolf had traded Yi Stones for, and Xiaqing was honoring their agreement by giving them a heads-up. Whether they came or not was their own choice.

Because she had to go learn marksmanship from Luo Pei tomorrow, Xiaqing decided to take her medicinal bath early and go to bed early.

Before the sky had fully darkened, Xiaqing had already eaten dinner and prepared her medicinal bath. The Broken Waist Wolf and the Head Wolf hadn’t arrived, but she didn’t wait for them. After instructing Sheep Leader and Sick Wolf to stand guard and protect the territory, she started her painful soak in the medicinal bath while listening to the news on the radio.

"Due to crustal subsidence, the Gui San Base in the southeastern part of our country is no longer suitable for human habitation..."

Suddenly hearing the news broadcast about Gui San, Xiaqing immediately lifted her head from the water, listening intently.

"...Currently, all of the more than 1.6 million residents of Gui San Base have been fully evacuated to nearby bases and properly resettled."

’At the beginning of the year, the population census reported that Gui San Base had over 2.5 million people. Now, only a little over 1.6 million had been "properly resettled," which meant that over 900,000 people had died in Gui San Base between January and now.’

’Over nine hundred thousand...’ Xiaqing sank her head back into the medicinal bath. The feeling of the potion boring into her flesh didn’t seem so unbearable anymore.

After the news and weather forecast ended, a hand, its veins bulging, rose from the medicinal liquid and gripped the edge of the tub. Xiaqing slowly stood up.

PING.

Her phone, placed nearby, chimed. Xiaqing turned her bloodshot eyes toward the glowing screen.

Broken Waist Wolf entered Third Territory via North Gate at 20:02 on November 9.

Xiaqing’s trembling lips twitched into a smile.

After rinsing off the medicinal liquid, getting dressed, and going downstairs, Xiaqing saw that the Head Wolf and Broken Waist Wolf had already arrived.

The North Gate system had only notified her of the Broken Waist Wolf’s entry, which meant the Head Wolf had jumped the wall again. Xiaqing greeted the two wolves, then waved to her companion. "Sheep Leader, time for your bath."

Sheep Leader, who had been chewing its cud, paused for a few seconds before reluctantly heading to the bathroom.

Xiaqing had the Wolf Group keep an eye on any movement outside. She then took the radio into the bathroom with her, timing Sheep Leader’s bath while listening to a program on how to build a vegetable greenhouse.

What was described on the broadcast was more or less the same as what Qi Fu had told her. Xiaqing decided to build it with three thick earthen walls, cover their exterior with a layer of crushed bricks, and then apply a coat of cement for protection against rain and wind.

When Sheep Leader couldn’t stand the pain any longer, Xiaqing coaxed it gently for a while before letting the Head Wolf take its turn, followed by Broken Waist Wolf and then Sick Wolf.

By the time all the animals had finished their baths, it was almost midnight. Xiaqing crawled back up to the second floor, collapsed onto the quilt laid out at the top of the stairs, and fell asleep immediately.

The next day, Xiaqing, fully revitalized, went to meet Luo Pei in Zone Three of Mountain No. 49.

Seeing that Luo Pei’s complexion was back to normal, that he wasn’t gaunt, and that his eyes were bright, Xiaqing finally felt at ease. She chatted with him as they walked up the mountain, "Brother Luo, is all the wheat planted?"

Luo Pei, who was leading the way, laughed. ’This girl really has a one-track mind.’ "Yep. We got ahold of a batch of high-quality seeds and planted 150 mu of wheat and 50 mu of rapeseed. Do you have enough seeds?"

Xiaqing, who had planted two and a half mu of wheat, nodded. "Enough. I also got a batch of high-quality seeds. After the wheat harvest next summer, let’s test the wheat’s Qiang and Yi Elements content. If the seeds from your fields produce good quality grain, I’ll trade you for 40 jin."

’Her idol had told her that while the wheat seeds she’d received in a trade couldn’t be traded away, the wheat grown from them could be traded freely.’

"Alright." Luo Pei didn’t ask where Xiaqing’s wheat came from; he just set his own terms. "If your wheat is good quality, however much you offer to trade, we’ll take it all."

"Deal." Xiaqing agreed. The two of them continued chatting about planting and greenhouses as they arrived at a large rock halfway up the mountain.

Luo Pei explained why they were there. "To accurately hit a high-speed moving target at long range, you must learn to predict the target’s movement and landing points. In ten minutes, a squad will be conducting a combat drill 500 meters ahead. They have Level 4 and Level 5 Speed Evolvers among them. When the drill starts, I’ll walk you through how to predict a Speed Evolver’s movements."

"Yes, sir." Xiaqing’s expression turned serious. ’This skill was crucial for me; my sworn enemy is a High Level Speed Evolver.’

"First, you need to quickly survey the environment and identify all possible landing spots. Once the target is in range, you have to track their high-speed movements precisely and predict their next landing spot. Your bullet has to be on its way *before* they get there to have any chance of a hit."

"As long as it’s a conscious action directed by the brain, it will go through observation, analysis, and decision-making. Anticipation means you must determine their next move while the target is still in their own observation phase..."

Once the combat drill started in the distance, Luo Pei began to demonstrate precise prediction for Xiaqing.

"Target on the left. His next move can only be forward, left, or up. His head tilted up slightly—he’s going up!" Luo Pei’s crosshairs were already waiting at the target’s destination. The Speed Evolver spotted the red dot from the Laser Gun and changed direction.

Luo Pei predicted his move again perfectly. "Front-left—it’s his only option! BANG!"

The high-speed Evolver was ’hit’ and stopped in his tracks, frustrated. The Sniper in today’s drill was just too good; he’d been "critically hit" right as it started, ending the combat drill for him.

"Fourth target on the right. Back... right... he’s going right." Luo Pei’s sniper rifle accurately predicted the second Speed Evolver’s landing spot. "Kill confirmed," he said, then ordered, "Continue."

The Speed Evolver who was hit pleaded over the radio, "Come on, Brother Luo, can’t you let me stay in the game a little longer?"

"Less talk, more moving. Get hit again in the next two minutes, and it’s extra training for you."

The trainee wailed but picked up his pace, while Luo Pei continued to explain the art of prediction to Xiaqing.

Xiaqing’s gaze followed Luo Pei’s instructions, tracking one high-speed target after another. In two hours of training, she only hit one target.

The combat drill ended, and so did Luo Pei’s lesson. "I tested my Visual Evolution Level yesterday. I’m a Level 9 now, same as you. So what I can do, you can definitely do with more practice. There are often drills on the mountain. You should join them as a long-range Sniper. Start at two hundred meters, and increase the distance as your hit rate improves. By the end of winter, you need to be able to accurately hit any high-speed moving target below Level 6 at a distance of 1,500 meters. You need to become a qualified long-range Sniper."

Xiaqing knew perfectly well how rare this opportunity was, and she accepted with a resounding, "Yes, sir!"