8: Chapter 8: Tactical Exercise - A Bunch of Incompetent Teammates!

Qin Feng opened his eyes the very instant the whistle blew.

In the darkness, he put on his clothes and pants with fluid motions, fastened his belt, grabbed his hat, and like an agile leopard, rushed out of the dormitory without a sound.

The assembly point.

Qin Feng was the first to arrive.

He stood straight as a javelin.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

The other new recruits finally came running over one after another, disheveled; some had buttoned their shirts incorrectly, and some were even barefoot.

The company commander instructor stood in front of the formation, his expression darker than the night.

His gaze swept across the crowd, finally lingering on Qin Feng for an extra two seconds, a flash of approval in his eyes.

"Look at you bunch of losers! Five minutes! It took a full five minutes to assemble! On the battlefield, you would have already died a hundred times!"

The instructor's roar echoed through the night sky.

"Attention all! Five-kilometer weighted run; if you don't finish, don't bother coming back!"

Wails filled the air.

The little bit of energy they had just recovered was instantly drained away.

After finishing the five-kilometer run, the horizon was already showing the first light of dawn, but the torture was far from over.

"Attention all, stand at attention! Stand until dawn!"

One new recruit after another fainted from exhaustion and was dragged off to the infirmary like dead dogs.

Dawn broke, breakfast was a mushy energy bar, and after scarfing it down, they immediately began marching in step.

There was not a moment's rest.

As long as they didn't die from training, they were trained to death.

This devilish training left everyone in a state of numb despair.

In the afternoon, just when everyone thought they were about to fall apart, a new training subject was announced.

"This afternoon, we will conduct a tactical exercise! Simulating a jungle encounter, in squads, defeat the imaginary enemy played by veterans! Now, begin grouping!"

Hearing the word "exercise," a glimmer of hope rekindled in many people's eyes.

An exercise has to be easier than physical training, right?

Qin Feng, however, keenly captured the malicious smirk at the corner of the instructor's mouth.

He knew that the real "main course" was only just beginning.

"First Squad, leader, Wang Lei..."

"Second Squad..."

The instructor began reading the list; those whose names were called were all students who had performed relatively well in the military training.

Qin Feng listened quietly until the very end.

"Seventh Squad, members: Qin Feng."

"Zhao Hu."

"Liu Wei."

"Li Lang."

"Sun Zhengyi."

When the instructor finished reading this list in a tone that sounded almost like a sentencing, the entire training ground fell into an eerie silence.

One second later.

"Pfft—"

From some unknown squad, someone couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.

This snicker seemed to be a signal, and the suppressed giggles immediately spread like a tide, merging into a buzzing discussion.

Everyone's eyes, filled with undisguised pity, mockery, and schadenfreude, focused on this freshly minted squad.

This lineup is something else.

It's simply a gathering of geniuses, a collection of elites.

One monster who crushed everyone in physical fitness in the morning and shot a perfect score in the afternoon.

One muscular hunk with well-developed limbs and a simple brain, who can't stand anyone.

One moving mountain of flesh who gets winded after running two steps and would never stand if he could sit.

One guy who jumps around, talks faster than he thinks, and fancies himself a pro gamer at 'PUBG'.

And one more, a guy with severe myopia who can't distinguish humans from animals beyond ten meters without his glasses.

This squad is basically fully stacked with debuffs.

Zhao Hu's face instantly turned the color of a pig's liver.

He felt the gaze of the entire field pricking him like needles, burning with pain.

His fists clenched until they cracked, he turned his head and glared fiercely at Qin Feng, the disgust and fury in his eyes almost erupting.

It's him again!

It's all because of this repeating loser!

Nothing good ever happens when I run into him!

"What the hell is this? Putting me in a squad with this bunch of useless teammates?"

That boy named Li Lang, the Thin tall man, was the first to jump up, his face full of displeasure.

"I'm a Diamond-ranked pro at 'PUBG', you mortals don't understand my tactical awareness at all! Being in a squad with them, isn't that just holding me back?"

As he spoke, he also did a flashy hair-flicking motion.

Beside him, the fatty Liu Wei looked completely lifeless, his obese body sprawled on the ground, simply giving up.

"Exercise? Might as well stand at attention, at least you don't have to move."

He muttered, fished out a squashed piece of chocolate from his pocket, and shoved it into his mouth as if no one else was around.

The severely nearsighted Sun Zhengyi pushed up his bottle-bottom-thick glasses, cautiously leaned in, his voice as faint as a mosquito's.

"Um... everyone, if we... if we cooperate properly, it should... it should be fine, right?"

His words received no response.

The atmosphere at the scene was so awkward one could dig out a three-bedroom apartment with their toes.

Qin Feng's heart remained calm, and he even felt like laughing.

He swept a glance at these few "comrades-in-arms."

Hmm!

One tank in berserk mode;

One glass-cannon assassin with built-in taunt;

One slow-moving health pack;

And one mobile ward with limited vision.

This lineup, in a team fight, is basically just handing out freebies to the enemy.

Is the instructor afraid I'll win too easily, so he specially unlocked Hell Mode for me?

Interesting.

[Ding!]

A cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind at the perfect moment.

[Host has achieved first place in shooting, acquired Solo Tactical Analysis Ability]

[Special team environment detected, hidden mission triggered!]

[Mission Name: Redemption of the Useless Teammates]

[Mission Objective: Lead the Seventh Squad to defeat the enemy's hypothetical target in this tactical exercise with zero casualties.]

Qin Feng's eyebrows raised slightly.

Using "Solo Tactical Analysis Ability."

Subsequently, he fixed his gaze on the words "zero casualties."

WTF.

Lead these jokers? And zero casualties?

System, do you have some misunderstanding about me?

This is no longer a high-difficulty challenge; this is practically challenging a strategic miracle.

"Seventh Squad, step forward! Here is your equipment, enter Area A3, reach the designated coordinates within fifteen minutes, exercise start!"

The instructor's emotionless voice came, and a few soldiers threw several heavy laser rifles and sensor vests in front of them.

Zhao Hu was the first to grab a rifle, glared viciously at Qin Feng, and without a word, charged into the jungle.

"Hey, Brother Hu, wait for me!"

Li Lang let out a weird cry, grabbed his equipment, and chased after him, shouting non-stop.

"Brother Hu, don't be in such a rush to charge, listen to me! Let's find some high ground first, I'll set up as a sniper, you take charge of drawing fire, we'll catch them by surprise!"

"Fatty, let's go!"

Qin Feng kicked Liu Wei, who was still sprawled on the ground.

Liu Wei grunted reluctantly, slowly climbed up, hung the equipment on his body, and his whole person seemed to grow another size larger.

Sun Zhengyi was fumbling around putting on his sensor vest, and ended up tying the straps into a dead knot.

Qin Feng sighed, walked over, and with a few quick movements helped him untie it and fix it properly.

"Tha... thanks."

Sun Zhengyi blushed.

Once they entered the jungle.

The hot and humid air, mixed with the smell of rotting vegetation, hit them in the face.

Sunlight was sliced into dappled spots by the dense canopy, spilling onto the ground.

The squad fell apart from the very beginning.