Chapter Fifty: Tactical Strategy

To be honest, Du Huaishan was extremely curious about the first innate skill he was about to acquire. If martial arts, combat techniques, and even his state of demonic transformation could still be explained by science, then the gun technique he had just witnessed, moving so fast it left afterimages, defied any reasonable explanation.

The human eye typically refreshes at twenty-four frames per second. Vision is arc-shaped, requiring calculations with the circumference formula, radius, and angle—one quarter of a circle, with a time interval of one twenty-fourth of a second. After working it out, for an object ten meters away to vanish before your eyes due to speed, it would need to surpass the speed of sound—about 382.92 meters per second.

Earlier, Du Huaishan had been about five meters from Luo Zongwen; although the spear tip hadn't completely disappeared, the afterimage meant the speed was at least close to a hundred meters per second. That was an utterly terrifying figure, already on par with the initial velocity of an arrow shot from a bow. What kind of skill could enable such an absurd leap in ability in a single instant?

…

As soon as the Battle of Beiyuan broke out, the next day, the 73rd Brigade stationed in Juntun City had their leave immediately canceled. They began assembling their gear, preparing to march to the battlefield at Shandong Pass, Beiyuan, to provide support.

While out buying meat and fruit, Du Huaishan and Tan Hai witnessed with their own eyes the massive deployment of troop transports, countless heavy machine guns, and artillery being loaded onto military trains at the station.

“Railways are truly one of the lifelines of this era,” Du Huaishan couldn’t help but sigh. Without armored trains and railway artillery, it would be impossible to transport such a large number of troops and equipment over long distances. In ordinary times of chaos, perhaps cars would suffice. But in an age plagued by monsters and demons, moving large forces across the wilderness beyond the city walls would make them little more than sitting ducks.

New Recruit Training Ground, Jiangwutang.

The dense forests of Xishan.

Even on rest days, many recruits continued their training here.

With a swift motion, Du Huaishan launched his grappling hook, leveraging his left arm and twisting his waist to gather strength—a sharp clang, and his spear struck the metal target.

He landed lightly.

Li Anqi and Tan Hai hurried over to inspect the result.

On the dense iron target was a pit an inch deep.

“Du Huaishan, your skill has reached a high level. If you drove that spear into someone, their intestines would spill out for sure.” Even though Li Anqi had been bickering with Du Huaishan lately, she couldn’t help but marvel at his strength.

Tan Hai was exhilarated. “With you here, Brother Huaishan, our Eighth Training Squad is sure to get a good ranking tomorrow!”

“It won’t be that easy. There are no restrictions on weapons in this assessment. Wu Ming from the First Squad is a sharpshooter, even able to shoot while in motion. He Zongtai from the Third Squad is exceptionally strong and wields a blade with astonishing skill. Xing Zhenhao and Guo Tingyu from the Seventh Squad—one is a trained fighter with comprehensive abilities, the other has impressive talent. And there’s the Tenth, Fourteenth Squads…” This time, Luo Zongwen had been generous with the rewards. The top three squads would receive prizes, with the first place earning a vial of Red Marrow Elixir. Unsurprisingly, many squads eyed this assessment with fierce ambition.

Du Huaishan tightened his grip on the Red Marrow Spear. He’d borrowed it from Instructor Luo Zongwen specifically to practice leveraging the grappling hook’s mobility mid-air. Red marrow, a rare material, was strictly controlled by the warlords; when Du Huaishan was in the refugee camp, any confiscated weapons had been taken for precisely this reason. Ordinary people rarely saw it, and blacksmiths couldn’t forge it. All the training targets at Jiangwutang were made of metal—any regular spearhead would be ruined within a few strikes.

“Sigh, who would’ve thought our Eighth Squad would end up fighting amongst ourselves…” Just thinking about competing against Wu Ming and the others tomorrow dampened Tan Hai’s enthusiasm.

“Tan Hai, the assessment hasn’t even started and you’re already talking defeat.” Li Anqi put an arm around Xu Yuan. “Other squads have strong members, but we have Xu Yuan. And if things go south, I’m no slouch either!”

“It’s still not enough…” Du Huaishan glanced up at the overcast sky. “There’s a good chance it’ll snow tomorrow. If we each fight on our own, there are too many variables. We need to come up with a strategy.”

“A strategy?” Lin Sizhi and Sun Tian joined the group.

“Yes.” Du Huaishan gazed at the metal targets in the forest. “Every battle requires a strategy—especially collective operations, where teamwork is essential, just like how the muscles of the whole body must work in unison.”

“Explain in detail,” Li Anqi said unexpectedly, not refuting him for once.

“Xu Yuan is a formidable solo fighter. She’s the fastest with the grappling hook among the recruits, capable of attacking from incredible angles. Her strikes are flawless. However…” Out of courtesy, Du Huaishan paused.

Xu Yuan looked up at him. “Go ahead, speak freely.”

“But your personality is too cold, you seldom talk, and you lack communication skills. You have almost no sense of teamwork, relying entirely on fighting alone—an absolute taboo on the battlefield!” Du Huaishan understood well that war is never a one-man show. Even in competitive games like League of Heroes, winning one against five is rare—how much less in reality.

“Our Xu Yuan is really that cold? She seems fine to me!” Li Anqi turned to see Xu Yuan’s blue-gray eyes contract slightly, clearly moved by Du Huaishan’s words, her mind perhaps recalling something long forgotten.

“Li Anqi, you’re cheerful, brave, and agile, but you can be careless and often overlook details.

“Tan Hai, you’re smart and talented, but your physical strength is lacking.

“Lin Sizhi, your gentle nature makes you indecisive in battle. You need leadership.”

…

“Du Huaishan, you’ve gone on about everyone else’s flaws—what about your own?” Li Anqi puffed her cheeks, pouting in protest.

“Me?” Du Huaishan pondered. It’s always easier to see others’ shortcomings than your own—when it comes to yourself, it’s hard to be objective.

“Oh, let’s talk about Brother Huaishan’s flaws later—strategy first!” Tan Hai impatiently waved his military knife.

“My strategy is to maximize strengths and compensate for weaknesses!” Du Huaishan organized his thoughts. “Xu Yuan, at the start of the assessment tomorrow, you’ll take the lead—scouting ahead with your speed and mobility. Take out any targets you can, and for those you can’t, you must report their positions to us.

“I, Li Anqi, and Lin Sizhi will be the main and supporting attackers, advancing in three lines: left, center, and right. We’ll handle all targets Xu Yuan marks. Sun Tian, Tan Hai, Zhang Yongming, and Chen Jun—you four will spread out along the flanks to search for targets, but more importantly, your task is to disrupt the other squads and prevent them from interfering with Xu Yuan or stealing our targets.”

“This is a solid plan!” Zhang Yongming, a tall and thin recruit, couldn’t help but exclaim.

Xu Yuan, Li Anqi, Tan Hai and the others all nodded thoughtfully.

“Let’s run through it once before tomorrow.”