Chapter 177 - 177:I Don’t Want the Third-Class Merit! (2)
It can be envisioned that if they were not participating in field training today, and if they were to return after successfully hitting the target, the challenges the trainees faced on their way back would be akin Tang Sanzhang’s Journey to the West.
Class Three… Class Four…
The target practice proceeded swiftly, as each individual had only five bullets at their disposal.
Soon after, it was the turn of Class Five. The first two classes didn’t achieve a perfect score.
Despite their initial confidence before the exercise, as soon as the shots were fired, everyone became preoccupied with how many of those shots had found their mark…
“Class Five, step forward.”
Following Ye Sanshi’s instruction, Class Five advanced toward the target.
However, instead of moving directly to the designated spot, they stopped five meters behind the shooting range.
In that spot was a small stool with a bowl placed on it, attended by a safety officer.
The reloading area.
The bullets were stored in the bowl.
Wang Ye stood at target number nine.
Under the guidance of the safety officer, they began to unload the gun from the rear, detach the magazine, and reload.
Subsequently, Wang Ye returned the magazine to the pocket of his tactical vest and gripped the gun in his hand. Accompanied by the safety officer, he took a few steps forward and assumed the shooting position.
“Lying position… reload!”
A veteran from the Fourth Company shouted through a loudspeaker on the sidelines.
In fact, all the current safety officers were veterans of the Fourth Company.
Wang Ye promptly lay down and extracted the magazine from his tactical vest.
Ka!
He loaded the magazine and inserted the bullets.
“Take aim at your discretion. Once you have a good aim, you may fire!”
This time, it was the voice of the safety officer crouching at the side.
Wang Ye paid him no heed.
His focus remained locked on target number nine right in front of him.
Thanks to his l.ix vision, Wang Ye could distinctly discern the ten concentric white circles at the center of the chest target 100 meters away.
Whoosh…
Wang Ye regulated his breathing.
The level 3 aiming skill lent Wang Ye an air of ease and confidence.
In truth, Wang Ye had contemplated elevating his aiming skill to its highest level, solely for the sake of that o.ix vision enhancement.
After all, this was just a machine-aided aiming over a hundred meters. Strictly speaking, his aiming experience and skills were already sufficient for him to attain Level 2 proficiency.
However, since his arrival here, Wang Ye recognized that his current vision was more than adequate.
His index finger gradually and evenly depressed the trigger.
“Bang!
With a suddenness, the bullet was discharged. The gun recoiled and his shoulder jerked.
The intentional precision and the spontaneous activation were the essence of aiming skills—an aptitude and proficiency that Ye Sanshi had consistently underscored.
In this moment, following his initial shot, Wang Ye didn’t rush to discharge a second round.
Gazing at the target 100 meters away, although Wang Ye’s l.ix vision was advantageous, the naked eye couldn’t unveil his results.
Nonetheless, Wang Ye possessed unshakeable confidence in his capability to strike the tenth ring.
Successful [Rifle Shooting] Skill Transformation.
Wang Ye inhaled deeply and directly allocated mental points.
Indeed, Wang Ye wasn’t inclined to settle for a third-class merit.
However, not wanting third-class merits and showing off were two different things.
Thus, Wang Ye was prepared to accumulate points.
The initial shot felt impeccable, yet now Wang Ye needed to ensure the precision of his forthcoming four shots.
In an ephemeral span, a warm current coursed into his eyes, swiftly traversing his hands and converging with his index finger.
In this juncture, Wang Ye’s vision elevated and simultaneously, his index fingers became more perceptive.
Furthermore, Wang Ye had assimilated numerous shooting experiences into his mind.
Admittedly, these were minor gains.
Nevertheless, this marginal augmentation was exceptionally significant.
If Wang Ye had stood as a shooting rookie before, he now stood as a proficient one.
An adept veteran armed with no fewer than ten fully loaded magazines.
He minutely adjusted his stance and the grip on his firearm.
At this moment, Wang Ye felt an unprecedented harmony with the weapon in his hand.
Even as his finger pressed against the trigger, he harbored the illusion that he could strike any point at will.
Whoosh…
Having regulated his breath, Wang Ye honed his focus on the target through the gun’s crosshairs.
This time, his vision was even sharper. The enhancements his shooting skill had gained from point allocation allowed Wang Ye to faintly discern the location of the bullet hole from the initial shot.
“Bang!”
Wang Ye fired once more.
Beside him, the safety officer observed Wang Ye with intrigue.
Between Wang Ye’s first and second shots, a span of seven to eight seconds passed.
As for the rest, some exhibited swiftness, all of them had already taken their third or fourth shot.
Yet, Wang Ye didn’t rush.
He was very curious regarding the performance of the new recruits who, during their last attempt, had struggled with the 400-meter obstacle and were now internally assigned to his company.
“Bang!”
Wang Ye fired once more.
For the second shot, the third shot, and even the fourth shot, only around a second separated each discharge.
However, with the fifth shot, Wang Ye paused once more.
Yet, this hesitation persisted for merely a second or two.
And then…
“Bang!”
The gunshot resonated.
“Hmm?”
In this instant, the regiment commander and the chief of staff, both armed with binoculars, along with Wu Jianfeng, stood stunned.
Among those currently engaged in shooting, none bothered with binoculars.
Certain classes didn’t even fixate on the target practice or merely stole occasional glances through binoculars. The actual outcomes would be disclosed once the target results were presented.
However, Wang Ye’s target practice was different.
He was a recruit with the potential to shatter regiment records, thus his shooting prowess engendered considerable intrigue.
Consequently, they maintained their binoculars’ focus almost continually, and the result of this vigilance had just astounded them.
Although Wang Ye’s initial shot didn’t precisely hit the bullseye’s center, it remained an exceptionally demanding feat.
Yet, it still resided within the tenth ring, albeit slightly skewed to the left.
What held utmost significance was that the subsequent three shots clustered adjacent to the bullet hole.
This occurrence was exceptionally uncanny.
In truth, at this juncture, the regiment commander and the chief of staff comprehended the rationale behind Wu Jianfeng’s actions.
However, something unexpected happened.
The target collapsed!
Yes, the initial four shots demonstrated commendable accuracy, yet the final shot unfolded in this manner.
“Wang Ye, what in the world are you doing!”
Wu Jianfeng couldn’t suppress his emotions any longer. Coincidentally, the other exercises had concluded, thus he harbored no concerns about disrupting the proceedings.
Without ado, Wu Jianfeng advanced purposefully to the ninth shooting station.
“Hehe, Company Commander, I apologize if my performance disappointed you. My final shot happened to accidentally find its mark!” Wang Ye lay prone, and upon Wu Jianfeng’s approach, he promptly burst into laughter.
“What absurdity are you spouting? I witnessed it unmistakably. The first four shots were distinctly exceptional, but your final shot…” Wu Jianfeng’s words became interspersed with spittle as he addressed Wang Ye’s grinning countenance.
However, he promptly froze.
In this instant, Wu Jianfeng experienced a sensation akin to sand invading his eyes.
“You insubordinate soldier!” He delivered a forceful kick to Wang Ye’s prone leg.
Then, Wu Jianfeng pivoted and departed.
This scene confounded the safety officer stationed nearby.
In truth, he was not alone in this befuddlement.
Besides the regiment commander and the chief of staff, who were deeply engrossed in thought, bewilderment pervaded the entire shooting range.
What was happening?
Wang Ye had merely caused the target to fall. Was there truly a need for the company commander to react with such vehemence?
When a recruit from the first squad discharged five rounds into alternate targets, it hadn’t elicited an iota of comparable wrath from the captain.