Chapter 7

is not

The rifle patted my shoulder and said, "You have won, well played!"

The warriors responded in hushed tones and quickly fanned out in a semicircular formation to search ahead

Indeed, Squad Leader! Another soldier interjected, "What is the background of these Japanese devils? Why must we find him at all costs?"

As dawn was just breaking, we set out with the troops under the leadership of Scar. I began to wonder why the troops were mobilizing at this time. Even as a novice, I knew that it was inappropriate to move at this hour. Wasn't it? ... The east had just begun to show a hint of light, the valleys of Vietnam were shrouded in morning mist, accompanied by a faint glow and a landscape filled with dense grass and trees ...! ... It could be said that it was an excellent opportunity to set a trap. We, the moving targets, were nothing but the targets for the hidden Vietnamese troops in the thickets.

Hmm! Scar nodded, glaring fiercely at me and Little Stone, and said: "This time you are lucky, but next time I won't let you off!"

Scar wanted to respond to something, but a sudden whistling sound from the sky changed his expression drastically. He pushed down several people beside him and shouted: "Get down!"

It is said that although I do not possess much military knowledge, I am familiar with submachine guns

Good! The surrounding warriors suddenly erupted in a cheer, instantly dispelling the previously oppressive atmosphere, replaced by a sense of pride and honor. Several warriors, whom I did not recognize at all, took the initiative to step forward and shake my hand, continuously saying:

His identity is not important! Scarface replied: What matters is his gun

Being praised by the soldiers made me feel quite proud, and at the same time, I couldn't help but sigh inwardly: the old man's words were indeed correct. The greatest role of a sniper is not how many people they kill, but whether they can effectively boost the morale of the troops. Isn't that so? ... I have only killed ... . ... To be precise, it should be said that I might have killed one person, but the entire spirit of the troops has changed significantly.

He paused for a moment and then asked me: "I just want to know... how did you manage to provoke the Japanese into action?"

Squad leader! At that moment, I heard a call from the front left, and I couldn't help but move towards the direction of the voice, following the team.

With a "plop," as my entire body was immersed in the icy stream, I felt an unparalleled sense of exhilaration, especially as my heart felt a weight lift... Although stones continued to fly and fall into the creek, making a "splashing" sound, I knew that I was essentially safe.

I habitually wanted to hide under a large tree not far away, but as soon as I thought of the gruesome state of that Vietnamese soldier when he died, I froze in place

I remember the old man once told me: When firing a cannon, you can hide anywhere, except under trees or in bamboo groves

"Squad Leader!" A voice interrupted Scar's words. A rifle appeared in front of us, and it cast a reluctant glance at me before saying to Scar, "This kid took down the Vietnamese devils!"

Boom boom ... ...

Squad Leader! The rifleman looked at the sky and suggested, "It will be dawn soon. We should fire a few rounds towards the 6 o'clock direction, about 200 meters away. This will not only prevent the enemy from coming to rescue their people, but also... who knows, the enemy sharpshooter might just be injured."

No thanks! I replied: This is also what I should do

In my youth, I would foolishly ask, "Why?"

Later I came to realize that this was actually a very dangerous thing; on the battlefield, one should never join in the commotion at any time. Curiosity kills, and this saying is indeed a profound truth

It was that Vietnamese sniper; I could vaguely see in the water's reflection that it was a gun unlike any we had. Although I did not know what kind of gun it was, I recognized the scope on it.

Am I really that bored? In fact, I am not bored at all; I am desperately thinking of unrelated matters to drive away the fear within me. At this moment, I find it strange, and I even somewhat doubt that I was able to calmly kill a person last night without feeling any fear or disgust at all

Xiao Shitou originally wanted to continue speaking, but upon seeing the murderous expression on Scar's face, he wisely chose to hold his tongue

Hmm! The rifle nodded slightly: "I heard the sound of the Vietnamese falling from the tree; they are most likely not going to survive!"

is not

Indeed, before long, Scar quietly issued the order: "Comrades, disperse and search for the bodies of the enemy snipers! Report immediately if found!"

Why? At this moment, the old man would glare with both eyes; although he had no "eyes," that glare was even more terrifying. Then, like an expert, he would demonstrate with his hands while saying: "Do you know what the consequences of hiding under the trees in the bamboo forest would be? A shell would come over with a 'whoosh'... and with a 'bang,' it would explode in the treetops. Although it wouldn't hit anyone, the shrapnel, the tree chunks, and branches would burst in the sky like flowers scattered by a celestial maiden, raining down from above... Even if you lay flat, it wouldn't help!"

His gun? The soldiers were taken aback upon hearing this; no one expected that a member of our squad would appear at this moment solely to retrieve a gun

Boom... not long after, shells began to be fired towards the possible positions of the Vietnamese snipers. Although the density was not high, rounds were fired every few minutes, and this continued until dawn half an hour later

Before long, the team walked into the thicket about one hundred meters in front of the position, at which point I vaguely understood the reason for our outing at this inappropriate time... the enemy snipers.

But I quickly realized that I was wrong, and very much so, because at that moment... right beside me... a dark gun barrel slowly extended and pressed against my head

I was wrong; I did not kill him last night

With the rustling sound of the grass, I soon felt a chill beneath my feet. The humidity in the air in Vietnam is quite high; with high humidity comes fog. When the moisture condenses on the grass, it forms dew. As my liberation shoes brush against the grass, they become dampened by the dew, and wet shoes make me feel quite uncomfortable

As soon as the little stone ran up to me, wanting to ask if it had been hit, it was abruptly silenced by Scar's shout and swallowed its words.

As I walked intermittently through the grass, I wondered why we were so concerned about the life and death of a Viet Cong sniper, especially now that we were putting an entire platoon in danger just to locate that sniper.

What appeared before my eyes was a corpse, a corpse that had been impaled with wooden blocks and branches like a hedgehog. From his helmet and military uniform, it was evident that he was a Vietnamese soldier, but I did not believe he was the sniper I had shot dead. The reason was simple: the weapon he was holding was a submachine gun.

Later, I learned that this operation was ordered by the higher-ups. Of course, at that time, as a mere soldier, I could not possibly understand why the superiors made such a decision. I only knew that, with my rifle in hand, I nervously followed the soldiers, cautiously moving forward.

"It's me!" Little Stone explained somewhat smugly, "Comrade Yang Xuefeng asked me to light a cigarette over there..."

... ...

What? Scar looked at me with some disbelief, then turned to the rifle and said: "Are you sure? How do you know the enemy has been taken down?"

Indeed, Scar quickly said: "This is not it, continue the search after disarming!"

Several shells exploded nearby, filling the sky with a deafening roar. Lying on the ground, I could only feel the vibrations emanating from beneath me, as if countless trains were passing by simultaneously.

... ...

Thinking of this, how could I dare to be negligent? Regardless of whether the shells are firing or the ground is shaking, I scrambled away to the side where there were no trees. I remember there is a ditch nearby. Do not underestimate this ditch; it is nothing less than a natural trench. The only difference is that it contains water.

I can understand the thoughts of the scholar; he is still feeling guilty for having caused the death of that soldier. However, by killing that Vietnamese sniper, I at least avenged him, which should provide him with some solace.

Indeed, I was not mistaken. After a few minutes of dodging among the metal scraps and wood shavings, the ditch suddenly appeared before me. Without a second thought, I turned over and rolled down into it.

Comrade Yang Xuefeng, you have brought honor to our class through your achievements

At first, I truly believed that the purpose of firing was to prevent the enemy from rescuing the sniper, but later I realized that the rifle had other intentions

The grassland had long been pockmarked by last night's bombardment, with craters scattered everywhere. However, it was not as charred as I had imagined. I believe this is mainly due to the heavy mist; the shells were not enough to set the grass ablaze. Instead, there were fragments of grass, leaves, and wood scattered all around, with occasional pieces of wood embedded forcefully into the crevices of the stone. It is important to note that when wood is shattered, it becomes akin to shrapnel. I can hardly imagine what fate would befall me if I were caught in the midst of those splintered pieces.

Thank you, comrade, for allowing our troops to breathe a sigh of relief

Squad Leader! At this moment, a soldier could not help but ask, "We have never seen that enemy sniper, how do we know if it is him or not?"

Before long, Scar rushed up to us in a fit of anger, pointing at us and scolding, "What are you all up to? Didn't you hear my orders? Is there any sense of organization and discipline left..."

But no matter how afraid I am inside, no matter how heavy my feet feel, I still have to move forward on my own two feet

Comrade! Thank you! The scholar approached and firmly grasped my hand, his eyes filled with gratitude