Chapter 589: Shadow Over Blue Star: The Sniper’s Resolve

Before Xia Qing, who was still a bit tongue-tied back then, could even open her mouth, Luo Pei had already reined in her emotions and encouraged her with hope blazing in her eyes:

“You’re an advanced evolutionary in strength, hearing, and sight. That’s every sniper’s dream combination. Enhanced strength keeps your aim steady, while advanced hearing and sight let you catch the tiniest changes in the distance and judge the trajectory with pinpoint accuracy. Xia Qing, if you put in the hard work, surpassing both me and Nie Hong will be just a matter of time.”

But when Xia Qing heard this, she didn’t feel fired up or inspired at all. She had just one thought—being a triple-path evolutionary didn’t just make her a good sniper, it made her great at farming too.

Over the past year, while keeping her fields thriving and her sheep and wolves healthy, Xia Qing kept pushing herself. She trained to get faster, fight better, and shoot straighter, all to become stronger.

Only by getting strong could she survive on this chaotic, wild Blue Star on her own terms.

After months of effort, she’d boosted the effective range of the sniper rifle resting in her arms to 1,900 meters—beating out most other snipers. She was still far behind Luo Pei, who had slowed after poisoning, and she had no clue how close she was to Nie Hong.

Even so, Xia Qing was content.

Between Luo Pei’s hands-on guidance and her own determination, she’d finally figured out how to extend her effective range and sharpen her aim. So long as she kept at it, she’d just keep getting better.

The female soldier who shared a class with Yan Ning returned, stood by the bed, and looked up at Xia Qing, grumbling, “Yan Ning, our squad’s patrol site tonight is the outer city wall. We gather at four in the afternoon and won’t be finished until midnight.”

“Okay,” Xia Qing replied calmly, her voice rough and low. She’d taken half a day of lessons from Chang Li just to learn that exact tone.

Xia Qing used to think Chang Li was just a single-path scent evolutionary, but only yesterday did she find out Chang Li could evolve her vocal cords too—able to mimic anyone’s voice almost perfectly.

Right now, Chang Li was inside Section Three, carrying Xia Qing’s two phones and walkie-talkie, dressed in her protective suit, and celebrating the new year with her ‘boyfriend,’ Hu Zifeng. As long as no one barged into Section Three, nobody would know Xia Qing wasn’t there.

When it was time to gather, Xia Qing downed a high-grade nutrient shake, checked all her gear, and hopped on the patrol car out of the Inner City—just in time to see Yang Jin leading a squad walking in.

He was dressed for the evening banquet—black suit, beige trench coat—and with that sharp, handsome face, Yang Jin looked so striking he was turning heads with every step.

Xia Qing itched to snap a picture and use it to pitch him as a fashion model to Crippled Wolf. With any luck, Crippled Wolf might even fork over two Yi Stones for his own Yang Jin-inspired look.

Yang Jin’s distant, indifferent gaze flicked over the military vehicle’s window, not even pausing on Xia Qing. But once the car passed, the tips of his ears quietly turned red.

A female soldier nudged Xia Qing with her elbow, signaling her to look outside. Xia Qing turned and saw a black sedan rolling by in the distance, Tang Lu in the passenger seat touching up her makeup with a tiny mirror.

Xia Qing, with her sharp eyes, noticed Tang Lu didn’t look at all excited about the banquet. In fact, she’d clearly just been crying and was using a cotton pad to hide her red, puffy eyes.

There was another woman in the back, dressed for the event. Xia Qing guessed she was Tang Lu’s mother or aunt—any other way, Tang Lu wouldn’t have been riding up front.

It looked like Tang Lu might have found out or at least sensed something. Xia Qing stopped watching, hugged her rifle, and closed her eyes again.

The lively female soldier sitting by Yan Ning wanted to chat more, but seeing Xia Qing like this, she had to swallow her words.

When the patrol car left the Safe Zone gates, Xia Qing opened her eyes and glanced at the big patches of wind-dried, almost invisible dark red—stains clinging to the Safe Zone wall, blood that maybe no one else noticed anymore. In her heart, she silently swore:

Dad, Qingqing is back to avenge you.

With nights stretched long by winter, darkness had fallen by seven. After two full rounds circling the wall, the patrol car rolled back inside and parked by the gates as positions for the night were assigned.

Visual sniper Yan Ning was paired with the auditory evolutionary squad leader, both tasked with securing the high point above the Western Perimeter wall.

At ten-thirty, the city echoed with the pop of firecrackers. The squad leader patted Xia Qing’s shoulder and pointed to the foot of the wall—time for her to go.

The squad leader was on duty tonight too, but their missions were different. He’d guard the wall.

Xia Qing rose and snapped a salute, then pulled a climbing rope from her backpack and shimmied quickly down the ten-meter-tall steel and concrete wall, disappearing into the shadows the lights couldn’t reach. The squad leader retracted the rope and returned to his post.

Wearing night vision goggles, Xia Qing quickly adjusted the walkie-talkie channel and reported in a low voice, “Squad Three, Night Heron, exiting from the West Wall past the Safe Zone.”

Night Heron was Yan Ning’s codename for the night—though Xia Qing had no clue who came up with it.

When Xia Qing heard that name, the only thing that popped into her mind was the time she’d pinched two heron eggs from Section Three’s Chinese cedar woods, and the pair of herons that came looking for them, both sporting long white plumes tucked into the backs of their heads—tiny, hunched swamp birds with stubby tails.

Tonight’s Team Three captain issued the order, “Night Heron, proceed immediately to Western Lands Section Three, Evolved Forest—stay concealed.”

“Roger.”

Xia Qing knew this terrain like the back of her hand and darted low through the night at full speed. Section Three’s Evolved Forest was ten clicks past the West Wall and the Western Territory. That was tonight’s likeliest battleground. The other option was on the East Side.

Xia Qing silently hoped Tang Zhengsu would have enough sense to run west—so she could finish this revenge herself.

Inside the Inner City, the third-floor banquet hall of the main office building was filled with the bright, elegant tones of the ‘Banquet Waltz.’

Decked out in her finest, Tang Zheng stood and drifted gracefully toward Yang Jin. Before she got to him, though, Yang Jin turned and walked over to a spacey-looking Chen Dongyang.

Tang Zheng bit her lip and wore a polite smile as she detoured to Tang Rui nearby, lowering her voice, “Where’s your dad?”

Tang Rui, buried in a mobile game on the sofa, didn’t even look up. “No idea.”

Dressed in a pale pink strapless dress, Feng Wen got up and pointed toward the western door. “I saw Captain Tang talking to someone over there earlier.”

“Thanks,” Tang Zheng replied coolly, then strode off toward the west entrance.

The fact Tang Zheng spoke to her made Feng Wen bubble with joy. But when she caught Tang Rui’s indifferent glance, her heart skipped, and the smile froze stiffly on her face.

Master Tang is mad.

“Target has left the banquet hall.”

As fireworks ushered in midnight, the mission commander’s voice crackled in through Xia Qing’s earpiece walkie-talkie: “Multiple fires reported in both Inner and Outer City. Primary Target has broken out from the Inner City. All squads, prepare for action.”

“Roger.” Team Three’s captain spoke into the walkie, “Team Three members, report your current positions.”

Scanning for sniper nests within a kilometer, Xia Qing pressed the walkie-talkie button. “Team Three, Night Heron, center-north of Section Three, Western Evolved Forest!”