plumnovel Chapter 8 Probation Period
Chapter 8 Probation Period
Igor raised an eyebrow.
The bearded medic suddenly chuckled. "Interesting, Major. I think we should give it a try."
The medic added, "This kid carried Vasily for over a kilometer without abandoning him. A guy like that is either a fool or incredibly capable."
Igor was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up: "Let's go."
The shooting range at the temporary camp was actually just a cleared-out area with a few human-shaped targets and rows of beer bottles at the end.
Igor personally selected an AK-74M, inspected it, and handed it to Lu Ye: "A standard military rifle, the same one you used yesterday."
Lu Ye took it and recalled the data about the gun: effective range of 400 meters, rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, recoil characteristics, bullet drop curve, etc.
"Fifty meters away, human-shaped target." Igor pointed to the target at the far end. "Five bullets, all hit the bullseye, then I'll believe you."
The remaining soldiers in the camp gradually gathered around. Alexei stood at the front of the crowd and gave Lu Ye a thumbs-up.
Lu Ye didn't fire immediately. He adjusted his breathing and silently chanted, "Basic Shooting (LV3), don't let me down!"
Static shooting accuracy increased by 40% (current actual accuracy is 85%).
[Dynamic shooting accuracy increased by 15% (current actual accuracy is 50%)]
[Special Bonus: Agility 10/10, Shooting Stability +10%]
"An 85% chance? I refuse to believe my luck is that bad!" Lu Ye took a deep breath and raised his AK-74M.
"Bang!" The first bullet left the barrel and hit the bullseye two inches above it.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The remaining four bullets were almost in a line, all embedded in the chest area of the human-shaped target, with the bullet holes distributed in a diameter of no more than ten centimeters.
A low gasp escaped from the crowd.
Igor expressionlessly picked up the binoculars, glanced at them, and then handed them to the bespectacled officer beside him. The officer looked through them and nodded to the major.
"A fixed target proves nothing," Igor suddenly said. "Alexei, go and arrange those beer bottles in an irregular formation, seventy meters apart."
"Yes!" Several beer bottles were quickly arranged, reflecting a dazzling light in the morning sun.
"Shooting while moving." Igor stared at Lu Ye. "I'll count to three, then you start running, shooting as you run. Hit three out of five bullets, and you pass."
This suddenly raised the difficulty level to a whole new level.
Shooting while moving, especially hitting small targets that are irregularly placed, puts a great strain on both body coordination and shooting stability.
Lu Ye could only nod; he couldn't refuse now. "Three out of five, a 50% hit rate in dynamic shooting, that's about right!"
Lu Ye took a deep breath, his blood began to flow faster, and he silently counted, "3, 2, 1, run!"
His gaze was fixed on the leftmost bottle. He wasn't moving fast, but each step was taken at the most stable point of leverage.
Just as he took his third step, he suddenly stopped abruptly and turned to the side, swinging the gun. "Bang!" The first bottle shattered into pieces.
Without pausing, he continued to sprint forward, and on his fifth step, he suddenly crouched and rolled over. As he stood up, the muzzle of his gun rose, and "Bang!" The second bottle shattered.
He kept running, but missed the third and fourth bottles. Lu Ye adjusted his breathing as he ran, thinking, "This is my last chance!"
The last bottle is on the right, nearly twenty meters away from his current position.
Without hesitation, Lu Ye sprinted in that direction. When he was about fifteen meters away from the target, he slowly slowed down to increase his hit rate.
"Bang!" The fifth bottle turned into a cloud of green shards.
Lu Ye gradually regained his footing, his gun barrel slightly raised, maintaining the posture after firing. His chest heaved violently. "Hit!"
The entire room fell silent. Then, Alexei was the first to shout, and began clapping: "Bravo!"
Then a commotion erupted from the crowd, and the soldiers' gazes toward Lu Ye completely changed.
Igor put down his binoculars, a flicker of emotion finally appearing in his grey-blue eyes. He then nodded slightly, acknowledging Lu Ye's approval.
Seeing this, the bearded medic immediately approached, his eyes gleaming: "Your marksmanship is indeed impressive. By the way, what exactly is that drug that accelerated Vasily's wound healing?"
"I'm not entirely sure either," he said without changing his expression. "I found it on that enemy medic. Just one vial; it looked like adrenaline, but the color was slightly different. Vasily was dying then; I had no choice."
"What color?"
"Pale gold color, with tiny shimmering particles inside," Lu Ye described, half-truthfully. "After the injection, he did recover very quickly."
The bearded man frowned and exchanged a glance with Igor.
"NATO's new experimental drug?" the bespectacled officer whispered. "I've heard they're testing some unapproved new drugs on the Ukrainian front."
"Possibly," the medic stroked his beard. "That healing speed is certainly not something conventional drugs can achieve."
Igor stared at Lu Ye for a long time before finally nodding slowly: "This matter ends here. If there are any further related issues, I will contact you."
"Understood, sir."
Igor turned to leave, but Lu Ye suddenly spoke up: "Sir, please wait a moment."
"Is there anything else?"
"I'd like to apply to join the official combat force," Lu Ye said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I don't want to be cannon fodder. I'm physically fit, and I'm a good shot. Give me a chance; I can be of help."
Igor stopped and looked back at him.
Do you know the difference between a formal mercenary and cannon fodder?
"I know." Lu Ye nodded. "Cannon fodder are expendable resources, while regular mercenaries are human beings. Cannon fodder dies and no one cares, but regular mercenaries receive compensation, medical care, and rotations."
"Now that you know, you should also understand that official positions aren't given out casually." Igor's tone softened somewhat.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the soldiers around him. "You saw my marksmanship just now. In a place like this, having one more capable fighter is always better than one more hindrance."
Igor remained silent.
The bespectacled officer leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words. After listening, Igor looked at Alexei.
Alexei immediately stood up straight: "Sir, I vouch for him! This lad is a tough guy, reliable on the battlefield!"
"Whether it's guard duty, reconnaissance, or combat, I'm willing to do it. Please give me a chance," Lu Ye said again when he saw Igor hesitate.
Seeing this, Vasily quickly said, "Sir, Lu Ye is a reliable man, a good shot, and very brave. I'm willing to vouch for him and let him stay in the camp to fight alongside us!"
Igor took a deep breath and finally nodded.
"Temporarily assigned to the Foreign Mercenary Auxiliary Company of the 3rd Defense Brigade, with the rank of Private, on a one-month probationary period." He looked at Lu Ye. "If he's still alive after a month, he'll be promoted to a permanent position. If he performs exceptionally well during that time, he'll be promoted ahead of schedule."
"Thank you, sir!"
[Ding! Mission complete: Prove your innocence]
[Reward: Skill Points *1]
[Ding! Position assigned: Private (Probationary Period), Foreign Mercenary Auxiliary Company, 3rd Defense Brigade]
[Reward received: Attribute Points *1]
Lu Ye suppressed his inner elation and gave Igor a somewhat perfunctory salute. "Yes, sir!"