“Retribution, serves them right.” Andrew Clark guessed it was the female soldier’s doing and cursed with satisfaction. Seeing a pistol on the other’s body, he quickly pulled it out, searched the body again, found two magazines, and then, out of the corner of his eye, suddenly noticed a familiar army dagger stuck in the enemy’s military boot.

Andrew Clark took it out for a look—it was indeed the familiar Type 65 army dagger, the squad vice leader’s beloved item, with the character “海” engraved on it, said to be a military merit award from a superior. Andrew Clark had borrowed it to play with many times and couldn’t possibly mistake it. He immediately realized that this person was the murderer who killed his comrade, and a towering rage erupted within him.

“Just as I thought, the killer.” Andrew Clark stood up in anger, turned, and walked toward the direction where the gunshots had come from, his face so dark it seemed water could drip from it. After just two steps, Andrew Clark stopped, returned to the killer’s side, quickly stripped off the enemy’s camouflage and combat uniform, then took off the military boots and tried them on. They were a bit big, but wearable.

After changing into the enemy’s gear, Andrew Clark smeared mud on his face. Once he felt it was enough, he gave the enemy a hard kick and headed toward the source of the gunfire, rubbing his chest to recover from his injuries. With his enemy ahead, he pressed forward without hesitation, eyes bloodshot, his mind filled with only one thought: revenge.

After walking for a while, the gunfire ahead became even clearer. Andrew Clark figured that, wearing the enemy’s gear, he didn’t need to worry about being shot at by the enemy. Even if he was, there was nothing he could do—the gap in strength was too great, and no matter how well he hid, it would be a joke. He might as well go straight in and play it by ear.

Perhaps it really was because of this set of gear that Andrew Clark was able to walk all the way to the edge of the forest where both sides were exchanging fire. He could see bullets flying everywhere, but couldn’t spot where people were hiding. He found a place to hide, released the safety on his pistol—he couldn’t use advanced weapons, but a pistol, with its relatively simple structure, was something Andrew Clark could handle.

After observing for a while, Andrew Clark noticed that two people were firing in one direction, while only one person was returning fire from the other side. He made a judgment and immediately crept toward the two shooters, using the method taught by the female soldier: every step he took landed in a blind spot formed by three trees.

A gunshot rang out. Based on the sound, Andrew Clark determined the enemy’s approximate hiding spot—only about twenty meters away. Even when uninjured, he couldn’t do anything to the enemy; now, wounded, charging in would be suicide. Suddenly, an idea struck him: he would wait in ambush. He quickly found a suitable place to hide.

Andrew Clark knew that these battle-hardened experts were extremely sensitive to killing intent. To avoid being discovered, he switched to his family’s breathing technique, imagining himself as part of a tree. Gradually, his breathing became slow and steady, his eyes half-closed, watching ahead with his peripheral vision, focusing on sensing the enemy’s position, ignoring the gunfire around him.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—maybe a minute, maybe three, maybe longer—when a barely perceptible footstep sounded. Andrew Clark knew the enemy was coming, but didn’t move. When he was fifteen, Andrew Clark had once lain in the snow for three hours while hunting, waiting until the prey walked right in front of him before firing.

At this life-or-death moment, driven by revenge, Andrew Clark pushed his potential to the limit, remaining motionless as he silently judged the enemy’s distance, counting their approaching footsteps, calculating the distance between them.

Chapter 10: Crisis Evacuation

Suddenly, Andrew Clark, who was leaning against a tree, moved. He turned and stepped out, firing his gun as he did—“Bang! Bang! Bang!”—three shots in quick succession. Andrew Clark saw a man’s face, full of shock, as his body crashed to the ground, his eyes filled with unwillingness, confusion, and a desperate desire to live.

After succeeding, Andrew Clark leaned against the tree, gasping for breath, his heart pounding wildly. He was so tense he’d forgotten this was his first time killing someone. His palms were slick with cold sweat, and his back was soaked.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Three bullets struck the tree. Andrew Clark snapped back to his senses, quickly dropped to the ground, and felt a burning sensation on his scalp. He reached up and found that a bullet had grazed his head. Furious, he rolled his body and hid behind another large tree nearby. Having brushed past death several times, Andrew Clark had forgotten fear; all that remained in his heart was anger and the urge for revenge.

On the battlefield, no one had expected the variable that was Andrew Clark, nor that he would kill using an ambush. The enemy was enraged, firing at Andrew Clark’s hiding place as if bullets cost nothing. Fortunately, the tree Andrew Clark was hiding behind was thick enough for four people to encircle, its wood hard and difficult to penetrate.

Andrew Clark wanted to kill the enemy, but facing such a strong opponent, he wisely chose to stay hidden. Amid the gunfire, a strange bullet sound rang out, followed by a scream. The forest fell silent, leaving only the rustling of the wind in the treetops. Andrew Clark guessed the female soldier had made her move, but still didn’t dare act rashly—who knew how many more powerful enemies were lurking in the depths of the forest?

“Ratatatat!” Suddenly, a burst of automatic rifle fire echoed from deep in the forest. Andrew Clark was startled and turned to look, seeing many people charging out of the dense woods. He didn’t know who they were, but judging by the direction of their fire, it was likely enemy reinforcements had arrived.

“Retreat, now.” A cold female voice suddenly drifted over from not far away.