Chapter 6: THE NEW KING OF BULLETS
The day of the Martial Showcase dawned .
Rows of students donned in fatigues filled the bleachers by the field, sitting straight . They had no choice; evaluation of their military stance included how they sat . They were evaluated from their heads to their toes .
The first segment was the shadow boxing performance, followed by military techniques . Target shooting and wrestling was in the afternoon . Loaded running and egging each other to sing on only began the next day .
Xuan Mo had no part to play in the performances, so she sat with the rest of the people until she heard the instructor calling her over a moment after . Z L T
Military techniques include passing through an obstacle course with their guns on, scaling walls, scaling muddy nets, crossing a single-log bridge, etc . , of course they have been simplified since these techniques were targeted at students . Even so however, the several groups of competitors had the judges extremely unsatisfied . Z L T
The record for females was two minutes fifty-seven seconds, while the record for males was two minutes ten seconds . It was very quickly platoon seven's females' turn . Xuan Mo was representing squad four; she stood together with the students who were just there for the sake of satisfying the numbers from squad eight and nine .
"Run!" The instructor giving instructions was straightforward and clear . The moment he came up, he shouted for them to run . At that everyone started running .
To Xuan Mo, the phrase "letting someone ahead" evidently didn't exist in her dictionary . Hence it was natural for her to be unwilling to lose to anyone . She liked the feeling of defeating everyone . It was akin to that feeling when she was sent on a military expedition, wiped the enemy's entire army and even pushed herself to defeat the other race's bodily arts practitioner expert to the extent she almost drained her mental power to the point of no return millions and millions of years ago; like the time when she discovered her mental power had reached the military's standard and decided to join the military and endure the harsh environment in the military; like the time she slayed through the coalition war along with the practitioner comrade, protecting everyone behind her...
There was not such thing as yielding, pity, nor downplaying...
If someone who believed they were strong lacked the ability to protect themselves when they kept a high profile, then that person was a weak person! ♢ MY CLASSMATE IS TWO HUNDRED MILLION YEARS OLD, CHAPTER 06 is hosted at ZHAN LAN TRANSLATIONS♢
"My subordinates are no cowards! Even if we die, we will die gloriously!"
Such simple, primitive metal instruments, and those railings and soft metal nets, those walls that won't hold even a single punch from her, those closely packed and shaky handrails... this was way too elementary to her; how could she not stand out?!
Topping everyone's gazes, she was the arrow zipping from the bow the moment the whistle sounded . In a blink of an eye, she's leapt onto the round wood, passed the hooks, went through the metal net, scaled the rope ladder, jumped over the quagmire, climbed up the wall, and leapt off of it . Her movement was fluid without pauses; she was agile and light, as though she'd trained with the course countless times-she was more familiar with the movements than a soldier who'd trained there .
When she crossed the finishing line, silence enshrouded the masses . Z L T
"Forty... forty-nine seconds . " The instructor looked at the stopwatch, clicked it multiple times before confirming the timing stutteringly . Z L T
Forty-nine seconds . She completely the entire obstacle faultlessly in the time taken to inhale and exhale . Z L T
Commissar Li stood, his palms against the table, his breathing quick . The burly middle-aged man beside him was even more riled up: "Where did that lass come from!? She's almost as good as a special forces soldier!"
"Ole Dong, you just reached today so you don't know, but that lass is weak-looking crazy skilled; she hit bullseye for a round of consecutive ten bullets!" Z L T
"The target shooting segment's not over yet though?" The middle-aged man turned . Z L T
"Xiao Zhou and the gang discovered that the other time when they brought the students who were competing to get some practice because they were bored . " Z L T
"Ole Li you're getting more daring huh, not telling me about this even learning this from the kids?!"
"The Great Team Lead, you've been busy with more important matters than this trival happening . " Commissar Li laughed heartily at his joking words of reprimand .
"Fine, she's still a lass no matter how good she is, still ain't much if she can't go up to the battlefield . It's not going to do if she gets weak in the knees in the face of the enemy . "
"Xiao Zhou got fifty-eight seconds the last time he finished the course . " Z L T
"Enh..." The team lead looked ahead at the playing area, clapping his hands, "enough with this, continue with the showcase!" ♢ MY CLASSMATE IS TWO HUNDRED MILLION YEARS OLD, CHAPTER 06 is hosted at ZHAN LAN TRANSLATIONS♢
Instructor Zhou was relatively excited when he looked at Xuan Mo's results . Confused as to why Tong Team Lead, who was known of his passion for talented people, hadn't leapt from his seat, he raised his head and saw the two team leads sitting together calmly . He scratched his head; they probably have a plan knocked out already . Seeing how the matter at hand didn't seem to be in his sphere of responsibility anymore, he announced for the next segment to begin .
Not everyone could attend the target shooting segment; only a certain number of students from each squad could watch . Therefore, the rest of the students went back to the canteen to rest . At that, the majority of the females preferred to head to the canteen as well, so the remaining available slots were filled by male audiences . The entry of almost all of the guys tipped the male-to-female ratio that had previously been relatively even, hence making things seem as though there were only a few females sitting around . The majority of the participants were these female students' friends; one of which seated was Tian Jin Jin .
Xuan Mo went back to training without a word . Tian Jin Jin wasn't exactly invested in this either so she lost interest after asking Xuan Mo for a bit . When she saw the number of audience present and heard the whispers between the guys however, she figured something was off .
"Huh? Who are you talking about? What King of Bullets?"
Males often found it difficult to reject females' questions, so he paused when he saw her apple-shaped face before saying: "Oh, I heard there's a female shooter that's super OP . She hit bullseye for all ten shots, that's almost as good as a special forces soldier!"
"Female?! Who is she?!?" THMYO IS HOSTED @ ZHANLAN TL
"I want to know too, we heard this from the instructors . I don't think her name was disclosed . "
"Woah!" Tian Jin Jin's eyes gleamed . Which female comrade was so awesome, how could her existence be overlooked?! She was definitely going to observe the showcase closely!
There were twenty-six people, groups into fives, and a six; each of the participants were only shooting five bullets .
When the first row went up, they heard a the loud shots sounding . Though there were pauses between the shots, those were the shots sounding in succession by five people, so it wasn't exactly bearable . At that, all the students covered their ears . The instructors by the side laughed at the sight, not reacting to the sounds at all .
The second wave of students went up, followed by the third wave . The results would only be announced at the very end, so everyone was only looking at them shooting . Seeing that it was getting boring, the students covered their ears and started chatting by mouthing their words to each other .
The fourth wave of students were up; Xuan Mo was among them . The instructor near the bunch of boys beside Tian Jin Jin suddenly kicked them, exclaiming: "Look! The King of Bullets is in this wave . "
Everyone turned to look . There were three guys and two girls here . ♢ MY CLASSMATE IS TWO HUNDRED MILLION YEARS OLD, CHAPTER 06 is hosted at ZHAN LAN TRANSLATIONS♢
When Tian Jin Jin saw Xuan Mo laying down on the ground, still as a mountain, unmoving, she immediately pumped up . She pointed at Xuan Mo, saying: "Aye aye aye, that's my friend!"
The instructor heard her; when he looked in the direction she was pointing at, his eyes lit up: "The one with the long hair? The pale and skinny one?"
"Yeah yeah yeah!" THMYO IS HOSTED @ ZHANLAN TL
"Heh! That's the one! You're friend's very good . " Z L T
"Ahh?! For real!?" Tian Jin Jin exclaimed in shock, "she, she..." but she was 'Xuan mei mei*'!
* the use of 妹妹 (mei mei) means Xuan Mo appeared very harmless and innocent like a little sister
Before she finished, the shooting began . Before everyone could cover their ears however, they heard the bang bang bang of ten consecutive shots firing . Among the remaining contestants still on the ground hold their guns, she stood, returned the gun calmly and went to the side to wait for the results with her gaze lowered as though thinking of something .
"That was so fast! Is she not afraid of the recoil?" The male students exclaimed in astonishment .
Tian Jin Jin had also heard of what this 'recoil' was referring to . She turned to look at Xuan Mo in worry, especially about her right shoulder .
"Phew, it doesn't seem serious, thank goodness . "
After the last wave of students ended, the results were announced .
"Number one, one five, two ones . Number two, one four, one three, two twos . Number three... number sixteen, one three, one one . Number seventeen, ten tens!"
The especially loud voice awakened the students that had been dozing off . At the announcement, they started asking each other: "What happened? Did something happen? I think I heard someone shooting ten tens?!"
Those who were watching the showcase attentively answered: "That's the one who shot the ten bullets consecutively!"
"Female, I think she's from platoon seven!" Z L T
"So awesome?!" THMYO IS HOSTED @ ZHANLAN TL
"That's too OP!" Z L T
... Z L T
"Last but not least, the first place goes to Xuan Mo from platoon seven squad four!" The instructor announced, "results! Ten shots of tens! This result shall be recorded into the military school target shooting records!"
This could even be a military record for a female student to break two military school records, obstacle course and target shooting, in a day .
Xuan Mo was unruffled . After saluting the instructors, she returned to her dorm to get changed .
"Mo Mo! Mo Mo Mo Mo! You're way too awesome!" Tian Jin Jin screamed as she dashed forward; she had personally witnessed Mo Mo completing her feats . Mo Mo was so beyond awesome . Her excitement and confusion was as though a volcanic explosion . "Exactly what did you do over the summer break? How did you achieve this, how did you achieve this?"
Summer break, that was a piece of memory she'd long triggered . It's just that she was still confused as to what it meant .
Ever since Xuan Mo found out that she managed to get into First High, she started her torturous dieting plan-running at dawn, exercise in the morning, water for lunch, yoga in the evening, fruits for dinner, and a jog before bed .
She even went on not eating for an entire day . The girl's already a sack of bones, and was diagnosed with light anorexia . She spent a month plus getting treatment before resuming her dieting, un-reconciled, and had even learnt how to apply makeup . After muddling two months like that, she went to look for that guy .
Xuan Mo didn't know what happened after that, but she knew why the memories cut off . When memories get too painful, they get repressed; it was a subconscious type of self-censorship by opening a new field in one's brain then storing these unpleasant memories one didn't want to be reminded of inside .
Xuan Mo wasn't sure if she'd triggered that piece of memory, but she knew that nothing pleasant happened with that guy . Else why would the previous owner choose to suicide .
However, it didn't matter much whether she figured it out or not .
Xuan Mo contemplated for a moment after meeting Tian Jin Jin's eager gaze . This wasn't the first time this girl was asking about her change . If she didn't explain a little, she would probably persist in questioning her . Hence, she collected her words and said: "I dieted in the beginning, then got anorexia . After I recovered, I ran a lot and exercised things like these . "
Her words were simple and direct .
"My goodness! You had anorexia before?! Woah? Why didn't you tell me!" Tian Jin Jin was anxious .
"I'm fine now . "
"Makes sense . " Tian Jin Jin wanted to say something more, but muttered glumly instead: "Don't keep things like this from me if you still see me as your friend, this is so serious... I should've been beside you at that time . "
Xuan Mo smiled lightly and nodded .
The previous Xuan Mo did not qualify to be Tian Jin Jin's friend at all seeing how she was completely self-centric compared to Tian Jin Jin's constant concern and friendship . All the previous owner thought of were hopes of being the centre of attention while not paying anything in return .
But she's dead now so, there's nothing much for her to say .