Strongest Soldier King

"That's right." The others echoed one after another, for only one man could achieve such a shooting challenge, that was the shooting coach of the Special Warfare Team, known as the Sniper King, who could hit an over 800 meters distant swaying thin tree branch with no discernible pattern. How difficult would it be to hit the mark?

"You'll keep your word?" Luo Zheng smiled, chambering a round as he assumed his shooting stance.

"Will do," Mountain Leopard immediately replied. "And what if you miss?"

"I'll leave," Luo Zheng confidently said, eyes narrowing into slits as he focused intently on his target. His thoughts swayed with the branch, the unpredictable movement of the dynamic target making it especially difficult to hit. Luo Zheng calculated the time the bullet would need to travel and imagined himself as the branch, swaying with the wind.

In the past, Mountain Leopard and the others had seen Luo Zheng shoot during training, but at this moment, everyone realized that he was entirely different from before. He was like a sheathed sharp sword exuding a restrained aura—it seemed harmless like a needle in cotton, yet deadly to the touch.

Just as everyone watched in amazement, they felt his aura suddenly burst forth as if a sharp sword was unsheathed. A chill of murderous intent made their hearts skip a beat. Then, they heard the gunshot following which, a strand of tree branch drifted down, swaying with the wind, and traced a graceful arc through the air.

"Did he hit it?" Everyone's eyes were wide open as they watched the scene in disbelief, speechless.

"How about that, does it meet everyone's expectations?" Luo Zheng chuckled lightly as he turned the safety back on.

"It does, more than meets them, Zhengzi, you've kept your skill well hidden," Mountain Leopard said sincerely, with the others joining in—reproaching Luo Zheng for not showing off such good skills earlier.

With a smile and not a word, Luo Zheng noticed a group approaching, with Song Yang among them. His expression darkened, Mountain Leopard and the others also sensed something was amiss, stopped their praise, and looked toward the approaching squad. Mountain Leopard said, "Here comes the rookie team. Let's not bother with them. Let's go back and talk about the mission."

"Captain Mountain Leopard is here too. I heard gunshots just now. What are you doing?" asked the instructor of the rookie team. The instructor was also a member of the Special Warfare Team, once a member of the Elite Team, who had aged and stepped back to a secondary line, taking on instructional duties. He was capable, experienced, and familiar with Mountain Leopard and the others.

"Just messing around, is there a problem?" Mountain Leopard retorted.

"It's about the training. These rookies have just arrived, and someone said Zhengzi is a high-level shooter and was specifically recruited for this skill. Since Zhengzi is here with a gun, why not show off a bit for them, open their eyes a little? Consider it a favor to your brother," the instructor said with a laugh, looking toward Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng glanced at Song Yang, guessing it was Song Yang who had brought the instructor here to probe his limits. He was about to say something when Mountain Leopard, clearly displeased, interjected, "Cut the crap, we all know what you're capable of. Do you want Zhengzi to look foolish? Everyone here knows Zhengzi's good at close combat, but shooting? Forget about it."

"Mountain Leopard, that's not very fair of you. Passing on knowledge to the new guys and learning from each other is our tradition," the instructor replied with a smile.

"Some other day, I need Zhengzi for something today," Mountain Leopard said. "Zhengzi, brothers, let's go."

Relieved that Mountain Leopard didn't push him forward, Luo Zheng flashed an apologetic smile at the instructor and followed the team. They walked in silence until they returned to the barracks. Once there, Mountain Leopard had everyone line up again, and Luo Zheng took his place in the line. With a serious face, Mountain Leopard said, "Brothers, you've all seen Zhengzi's gun skills. No need to say more, welcome." He then started clapping, and the rest joined in with genuine applause in welcome.

When the clapping ceased, Mountain Leopard continued, "Brothers, Zhengzi must have a reason for concealing his shooting skills. Let's not ask about it, and don't let it slip, understood?"

"Yes," all the men earnestly responded.

"Alright, let's formally introduce ourselves," Mountain Leopard looked at Luo Zheng and said seriously, "Code name Mountain Leopard, leader of the first team."

"Huang Lei, code name Duke of Thunder, demolition expert."

"Jin Xin, code name Golden Eagle, scout."

"Zhang Bao, code name Mountain Leopard, assault soldier."

Everyone introduced themselves seriously, and once finished, Mountain Leopard took over the conversation, "From now on, we will address each other by code names. Code names are earned through strength and recognized by the team and recorded. Zhengzi, you don't have a code name yet, we'll address that later. Now, let's talk about the mission." His expression became grave as he looked around at everyone and continued, "It's always a serious mission that calls us to action, and this time is no exception."

The Special Warfare Team was made up of the Rookie Squadron, Ordinary Squadron, and Elite Squadron, with each squadron divided into nine teams. Those in the Ordinary Squadron could only cooperate with other departments for collective action and handle general tasks. Only the people from the Elite Squadron could act independently as a small team on assignments, which were invariably arduous and challenging.

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened attentively, Luo Zheng being no exception. This was his first mission, and he did not want to be the weak link that held the team back.

"According to intelligence from our department, a group of drug traffickers is trying to smuggle a large batch of drugs into the country. They're armed thugs affiliated with the Kuntai Group, about a hundred people, proficient in jungle warfare, knowledgeable about the terrain, and well-equipped. The military district has entrusted this mission to us, showing their trust in us and no matter what, we must complete it. Any questions?" Mountain Leopard said gravely.

"Source of the intelligence?" Luo Zheng, unable to hold back his surprise, asked when he saw that no one else was speaking.

"It was sent by an undercover cop who has been embedded inside the drug trafficker group for many years. Golden Eagle will coordinate with the relevant departments to get more details. We set out tomorrow, any more questions?" Mountain Leopard said.

"No, everyone responded."

Luo Zheng realized he had asked an unnecessary question. In a team operation, everyone had their roles, with intelligence naturally being Golden Eagle's responsibility. What he needed to focus on was sniping. For the first time, Luo Zheng felt a sense of team spirit and smiled wryly. Mountain Leopard came over to ask, "This mission is going to be tough. We five are up against a hundred heavily armed thugs, not looking too optimistic. Feeling nervous?"

"Not really. What about weapons?" Luo Zheng asked calmly.

"Standard issue includes a tactical vest, a military dagger, a Type 92 pistol, a GPS communicator, a single soldier medical bag, combat boots, and a bulletproof helmet. You can select your sniper weapon and ammo count based on the terrain and your preference, just report it to me and I'll prepare it," Mountain Leopard answered.

"Type 09 sniper rifle. Standard rounds, 200; armor-piercing rounds, 100; incendiary rounds, 100," Luo Zheng said earnestly. After a period of training, he was well aware that the Type 09 sniper rifle system was compact, reliable, had long range, good precision, effective terminal ballistics, and was easy to maintain, making it very suitable for him.