91: Chapter 91 Joint Operations

Five minutes later, Li Gang continued, "The Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle has no barrel, so theoretically, the front doesn't need daily maintenance. However, when we designed it, we included a cleaning kit. It's here."

As Li Gang spoke, he pressed the top of the muzzle and pulled it back, revealing a hidden groove to the two of them.

"Both the upper and lower parts of the muzzle have hidden mechanisms. Press and pull them back; the top one contains the cleaning kit, and the bottom one holds the sniper rifle's bipod."

"The entire rail groove has a hollow design, so it's inevitable that some debris might get inside. This debris shouldn't interfere with shooting, but none of this has been practically tested. We will need continuous feedback from the troops during actual use."

"If maintenance is needed, you can perform routine daily care just like with other rifles, simply by cleaning out the debris."

"Alright, that's basically it. To be honest, Captain Wang, I haven't fully grasped everything about this rifle yet, mainly because the time was too short. Perhaps when you return, you'll have to teach me, haha."

Li Gang said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Alright, this sniper rifle is now officially handed over to you. You, you must take good care of it."

Li Gang reluctantly pushed the Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle toward Wang Xuedong.

"Yes, rest assured, Group Leader Li. I will treat it like my own son."

"Uh, right, okay."

Li Gang wanted to say that the generation gap was a bit confusing, but in the end, he didn't feel comfortable saying it out loud. By this time, the convoy had already driven into the military airport.

The "fat girl" was already primed and ready for takeoff. The convoy braked sharply beside the "fat girl," and everyone got out of the vehicles. The six special forces members saluted Brigadier General Gu and Li Gang before hurriedly boarding the plane.

The "fat girl" slowly taxied to the runway without stopping, immediately accelerating for takeoff. Soon, the plane disappeared into the clouds, and the roar of its massive engines gradually faded away.

Brigadier General Gu took one last look at the now-invisible "fat girl," then turned around. "Group Leader Li, let's go. Our mission is complete; let's leave the rest to them."

Li Gang nodded. He didn't ask any unnecessary questions. Even as a senior expert in a military research unit, it was inappropriate for him to get involved in military affairs; he understood this rule. He just looked back at the sky once more, then returned to the vehicle with Brigadier General Gu.

The "fat girl" quickly reached its cruising altitude. Only then did Wang Xuedong and his group unbuckle their backpacks, place their equipment in front of them, and begin to size up the people around them.

Besides the six of them, there were five other special forces members in the cabin wearing black bulletproof vests who had arrived earlier.

"Brothers, are you SWAT? Or Armed Police?"

Wang Xuedong cheekily asked a team member in a black uniform sitting next to him.

"Armed Police Special Forces!"

"Hey, the Armed Police are involved too? What kind of operation is this? Do you have any inside information?"

The special forces member looked up at him, didn't answer, and continued wiping his gun.

Wang Xuedong's eyes darted to his equipment, and he immediately perked up.

"Whoa, CSLR-4? The Type 26! This sniper rifle is awesome. How is it? Brother, is this gun good to use? Let me fire a few rounds with it later."

The member in the black uniform still didn't answer, focusing solely on wiping his sniper rifle. After a long while, he asked, "Are you guys from the military?"

"Yeah, from the 223rd Brigade. Come to think of it, don't you find it strange? What kind of operation requires a joint military and police action?"

Wang Xuedong had been bored for quite a while, but seeing the other person take the initiative to talk, he perked up again.

"I don't know. We also received an urgent order and just came straight here."

"Oh, same here. Hello, Wang Xuedong of the 223rd Brigade."

Wang Xuedong said, extending his right hand.

"Hello, Xue Zhikai."

The two shook hands amicably, now considering each other comrades.

"Brother Xue, I heard the Type 26 has some pretty impressive accessories. What are you carrying?"

"An 8x-32x white light scope, a laser rangefinder/ballistic computer, a low-light image intensifier, and spare magazines. I brought everything I could."

Wang Xuedong drooled upon hearing this. Damn, these accessories were even more powerful than those on his Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle. No, his Electromagnetic Kinetic Sniper Rifle only had a plain 16x scope, which made him itch with envy.

He wasn't interested in the rest, but the 8x-32x white light scope and the low-light image intensifier were great items, especially the latter for night combat. He was wondering how he could trick him out of them.

Xue Zhikai wasn't as idle as him. He put his sniper rifle back into his backpack and then stared at Wang Xuedong's black backpack.

"I say, brother, your backpack is quite large. You must be carrying a lot of gear. I remember the 88 sniper rifle backpack isn't this big, right?"

"Uh, what's wrong? Looking down on the 88 sniper rifle? Do you know why the Type 26 was first issued to your police SWAT and Armed Police Special Forces? It's because of its slow-as-molasses bolt-action mechanism. It takes forever to cycle it once. If this were on a real battlefield, the enemy would have already run away."

"What's wrong with a bolt-action mechanism? Isn't the M24 also bolt-action? Besides, why are you getting so worked up? I didn't say anything bad about the 88 sniper rifle; I used to use one too."

Xue Zhikai also had a stubborn temper. After saying that, he rolled his eyes at Wang Xuedong.

"See, that look just now. Fine, fine, fine. There's no point in talking further. You can just stick with your Type 26."

Wang Xuedong had wanted to show off his own heavy hitter, but because of Xue Zhikai's look, he changed his mind. After all, he had been using the 88 sniper rifle for so many years; even if it had flaws, he had to defend his old gear.

Afterward, everyone remained silent for the rest of the journey, closing their eyes to rest. A minor episode was just a minor episode; what they were thinking about most was the upcoming operation. What kind of operation could be so urgent? It was a huge question mark in their minds.

...

On a winding country road, a grey minivan was driving at a moderate pace. "Viper" stuck his head out to look at the sky. The weather, which was clear and sunny just a moment ago, was now overcast, with a heavy downpour brewing in the air.

After driving for nearly another 10 kilometers, the rain finally began to fall. Large raindrops pelted the windows and the roof, making a "pitter-patter" sound.

"Fox Shadow" and the others were startled awake. He reached for his waist with practiced ease, looked outside, and only then stopped the motion of reaching for his gun.

"Lone Wolf, how much longer until we arrive?"

"Less than an hour."

After asking "Viper," who was concentrating on driving, Lone Wolf turned back and replied.

"Boss, this horrible weather isn't very suitable for an operation. At the very least, it'll be difficult for drones to take off and take pictures."

"Monkey" looked at the rain outside and said worriedly.

"There are still dozens of kilometers of mountain roads to travel after we get there. Maybe the rain will stop by then."

Just as "Fox Shadow" and his group were about to reach their destination, Wang Xuedong's plane also arrived at the Southwest Military Region's military airport.

Wang Xuedong, Xue Zhikai, and the others quickly stood up and organized their equipment. As the "fat girl's" tail ramp slowly lowered, the special forces members marched out of the plane in formation.

In the pouring rain, an officer with the rank of Major General was waiting on the runway.