Chapter 1149: Operation Skyfall: Hunters of the Bird Migration

“All units, attention: Bird activity update. In ten minutes, a flock of roughly three thousand large migratory birds will reach the hunting zone. Everyone to your positions.”

Right after the general announcement, Xia Qing heard the voice of the sniper team leader crackle through her walkie-talkie. “All snipers—take your positions within three minutes. Confirm receipt.”

The main job of the snipers was to intercept any raptors or beasts that might suddenly swoop in, whether from the ground or sky, so everyone needed to get in place early.

Xia Qing let her gaze drift from the north, sweeping past the western sky where the sunset was fading to dusk. She pressed the talk button. “Sniper Point One, Xia Qing. In position.”

From three hundred meters to her left, Zhang Ling answered in turn. “Sniper Point Two, Qinglong Night Heron. In position.”

“Sniper Point Three, Aurora Zhou Chuan’an. In position.” A lazy drawl sounded out—Xia Qing recognized it as Bald Zhou, the top sniper of the Aurora Squad, currently ranked second in Hui Three, and a Level 6 Vision Evolution sniper.

“Sniper Point Four, Dead End Yama. In position.” A familiar smoky voice rang out—this could only be Mo Shaozhi, the Dead End Squad’s top sniper, ranked third in Hui Three and a Level 5 Vision Evolutionary.

“Sniper Point Five, Silver Moon Wei Yingui. In position.” That was the captain of the Silver Moon Squad, ranked fourth in Hui Three, and a Level 7 Vision Evolutionary.

Xia Qing didn’t find his voice unfamiliar. Ever since word had spread of her skills as a top sniper, Wei Yingui had called her several times, sincerely inviting her to join his squad.

“Sniper Point Six, Eclipse Moon. In position.”

Xia Qing recognized this voice too. The last time she took on the Giant Raptor at Hill Eight’s limestone pillars, this senior military sniper had been there as well.

“Sniper Point Seven, Blood Fang. In position.”

This was the only unknown voice—probably a sniper from the military or hired from another base. Anyone assigned to this job had to be a senior sniper or above.

“Okay, everyone’s accounted for. Please keep your walkie-talkie channels clear.”

No sooner had the team leader finished than Bald Zhou piped up, “Qinglong Night Heron, you haven’t shown your face since you took down that Giant Raptor in July. Have you been doing special training at Hill Forty-Nine all this time? What’s your effective range now?”

Zhang Ling replied calmly. “Eighteen hundred and twenty meters.”

A few of the other snipers who’d worked with Night Heron during the Giant Raptor hunt pulled wry faces. Last time, after Night Heron picked off a speed-evolved Giant Raptor at 2,050 meters, Bald Zhou had asked her this same question—and she’d reported the same number.

Eighteen-twenty—just twenty meters over the minimum standard for a senior sniper.

But what they didn’t realize then was that the Night Heron from last time was Xia Qing. This time, it was Zhang Ling. She’d only just passed the captain’s test a few days earlier, so right now, her range really was only eighteen-twenty.

Zhang Ling didn’t seem bothered. After all, not everyone is born to be a top sniper. The results she had now were earned shot by shot through hard training.

Bald Zhou’s lazy voice was tinged with heat. “Fine, fine—eighteen-twenty it is! Director Xia, I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the only top sniper in our group, so tonight, it’s all on you.”

But Xia Qing was too busy to answer that nonsense. The light was still decent—she focused on scanning the terrain, analyzing every detail.

The team leader’s voice suddenly cut in over the Lords’ channel. “Five minutes until the bird flock arrives. Ground temp is 19C, wind at level five. Unstable airflow between 1800 and 2500 meters, high Devastation Element activity. All snipers, calibrate your scopes.”

High-end sniper rifles came with scopes—ranging from basic mechanical models to advanced, like ballistic-optimized infrared scopes.

But as someone who often worked in the unpredictable conditions of the Evolved Forest, Xia Qing couldn’t rely too much on advanced scopes. Electronics in those scopes, even with special shielding, could still be thrown off by strong magnetic fields and surges from the Devastation Element, throwing aim way off.

So, she used a laser rangefinder scope on her rifle. Of course, she also kept a photoelectric hybrid scope and a thermal imaging scope stashed in her backpack, just in case.

“Sniper team, attention: Eight raptors have appeared to the southeast—their target is our migrating bird flock. Point One, your target is the leading speed-evolved Monkey-eating Eagle, altitude about 2,080 meters. Prepare to engage.”

This hunting zone belonged to humans. If the Monkey-eating Eagle barged in and snatched up hundreds of birds—thousands of kilos of prey—humans had to strike back. The lurking raptors, wild beasts, and even spies from rival bases all needed to see that Hui Three’s evolutionaries would defend the hunting grounds no matter what.

Targets over 2,000 meters—only a top sniper could hit those with confidence.

“Copy that.”

Lying flat at her sniper point, Xia Qing answered calmly. Senses wide open, she steadied her breathing and heartbeat, adjusted her rifle to the southeastern sky and swiftly settled into position.

After tens of thousands of training rounds, muscle memory had fused a perfect routine into her—shoulder pressed to the stock, cheek against the rifle. Holding this stance, she shot with unbeatable precision.

Her ability to hold that position for so long without losing accuracy came from her other evolutionary power—Strength Evolution.

With upgraded sight and hearing, Xia Qing scanned her surroundings. Strength Evolution kept her aim steady, and her powerful emotional control meant she could block out distractions, focus fast, and lock onto her target in seconds.

The speed-evolved raptor at 2,080 meters wasn’t a guaranteed one-shot kill. But that didn’t matter—tonight’s mission meant her ammo costs would be reimbursed. She could afford to take extra shots.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

As soon as the target was in range, Xia Qing fired three quick shots—every one landing true.

The Monkey-eating Eagle exploded in a red mist as its head and neck vanished, the body plunging straight down. Feathers scattered wildly on the wind, and the rest of the raptors, startled, bolted in every direction.

Watching all this, Zhang Ling couldn’t help but whisper to herself, Nice!

“Damn, that’s real skill! Outrageous!” Mo Shaozhi shouted over the Lords’ channel, his voice thick and smoky with excitement. “Leader, hurry up and send out the recording—let everyone see the strength of our base’s second top sniper!”

Bald Zhou chimed in too. “Director Xia, color me impressed.”

Xia Qing was pretty satisfied herself. She loved training, especially when she racked up credits and got her bullets reimbursed along the way.

With the raptors scared off, the ground squads released bird-attractant. The huge flock of over three thousand migratory birds swooped down just as hoped.

The waiting squads and army teams moved in fast, capturing two-thirds of the plump birds. The remaining third managed to lift off, continuing their migration.

Xia Qing squeezed the trigger again, driving a round into a tree trunk near a lurking evolved leopard at 2,060 meters. The startled beast bolted, leaving the hunting party untouched.

News of Xia Qing’s stunning shots quickly reached the Safe Zone, making Base Director Qi Zhongye’s eyes shine with pride. Top-notch, absolutely top-notch—this girl was really bringing glory to Hui Three Base!

After finishing the first round of sniping, Xia Qing sat in her tent, checking her phone for updates.

Yang Jin, who was leading the bird hunt at Hill Forty-Nine, had done a solid job making sure the giant flock didn’t land at her territory’s reservoir. That kept the raptors away from her land and stopped them from damaging her greenhouse.

Just as Xia Qing was about to put her phone away, Hu Zifeng, who was stationed at Section Three, sent a message: “Sister Qing, the swallows from Section Three have joined the migration and flown off.”