Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Whizz! Crack!

Ling Qingyu flinched and glanced instinctively toward the sound. "What's that? Something cracked!"

Tang Ziyi naturally understood what happened and roared, "Get your ass down the slope. Conceal yourself from the horizon!"

She wasn't too worried, but letting someone get shot in front of her, even if the person wouldn't receive any injuries—heck no.

Ling Qingyu shrank, and the moment she moved, the last exposed place witnessed the smack of being hit by a fast projectile. She saw the very grass she leaned on splinter into pieces. "Damn, Ziyi. I really didn't sign up for this, you know. You dragged me here."

Two shots. The enemy sniper dialed in very rapidly and landed quite an accurate shot, though a little far from where Ling Qingyu was prone.

"Yeah, yeah. Stop quibbling. You're alive. With so many safety measures here, I have no idea why you're frightened."

"Are you kidding me?!" Ling Qingyu almost cussed. This was her first experience of getting shot at, and it was very close to death.

Compared to Spirit Fox operatives, who had great trust in their equipment, Ling Qingyu didn't. She hadn't undergone trust-issue drills where they shot at each other with real bullets.

"Come on, you know the bullet can't penetrate our armor," Tang Ziyi shrugged.

"But I have my eyes exposed," Ling Qingyu pointed at herself. "You know in those movies where a sniper gets killed by a bullet passing through a telescope?"

"Bullshit, that's a movie. We shoot at any exposed area and vulnerable spot. Nobody will waste time trying to aim at a tiny scope radius, the size of an eyeball, from a distance. Or are you going to believe that sniper duels end with two bullets smashing against each other?" Tang Ziyi responded sarcastically.

"Can't they?"

"F**k you." Tang Ziyi slapped her forehead. "Even if the bullet managed to hit the scope by luck, believe me, I've designed and reinforced our scope so it has anti-ballistic capability."

"Whew, that's better. You should have said so earlier." Ling Qingyu patted her chest in relief, only soliciting a contemptuous glance from her partner. She didn't mind the mockery. Everybody was terrified of dying. "What do we do next? I think they can see us at night."

"Of course, thermal vision. Pure night vision won't hone in on us so easily," Tang Ziyi agreed.

Ling Qingyu crouched low behind the slope of the hill, a few meters away from Tang Ziyi, peering through her scope with calm focus. The muffled roar of explosions and machine-gun fire echoed throughout the war-torn streets below.@@novelbin@@

Raindrops splattered against her scope's lens, making her blink as she wiped it quickly with her sleeve. Tang Ziyi, lying prone as well, adjusted her tablet to observe the video feeds from the three drones above.

"Still nothing," she whispered. Her eyes darted across the horizon, scanning the rooftops and broken windows from afar after slightly exposing her head enough to peel a periscope, analyzing the possible enemy sniper's location. "These guys know how to hide. They aren't green for sure."

Ling grunted in acknowledgment. They were being suppressed, pinned down by an unknown sniper team that had caught them off guard. The mercenaries had the advantage of the first sight—firing the first shots and forcing them into cover.

Her heart raced as she thought back to the sudden boom of a high-caliber rifle that had almost taken her head off moments earlier.

Tang Ziyi's calm and organized communications washed away her panic. Otherwise, Ling Qingyu wasn't certain she could control her instinctive fight-or-flight response.

"We're in a bad spot," Tang Ziyi muttered. "They're dug in, and we don't know where they are. I can't see a damn thing."

The mercenaries had clearly been waiting. They occupied a good spot amidst so many possible urban infrastructures to host them, with thermal scopes and the advantage of first sight.

It was only by sheer reflex that Ling had avoided the first shot. They hadn't taken out any of her team yet, fortunately, but the mercenaries had them pinned, adamant on eliminating the duo.

Ling Qingyu knew they were being hunted. Every time she peeked out, another shot cracked through the air, forcing her back into cover. The enemy sniper was good—calculated, patient. It was a deadly game, and for now, Ling Qingyu was losing.

"Patience. You better change your spot and hide your figure."

"Why don't you help me?" Ling Qingyu was exasperated. This bastard stayed clear out of sight, wanting to see her struggle.

"I'm calculating everything inside my head, okay? Plus, I think you can handle them. Remember to move slowly."

Ling Qingyu shook her head but followed Tang Ziyi's advice. She adjusted her mindset and maneuvered around.

Tang Ziyi kept scanning, muttering numbers as she calculated possible distances and angles. "Ten o'clock, rooftop, 700 meters. That could be them."

Ling slowly inched her scope toward the direction, but as soon as she adjusted her aim, another sonic boom whizzed past her, forcing her to duck back.

"Damn it," she hissed. "We've got to flush them out, or we're done. I'll change my spot again." She crawled close to the ground, minimizing herself.

Tang Ziyi stayed calm. "We'll get them. They're shooting blind too. It's a matter of patience."

Patience. The word gnawed at Ling Qingyu. She hated being reactive, but right now, they didn't have a choice. Every shot the mercenaries fired was from a position of dominance, and they were just playing defense.

"Got a heat signature," Tang Ziyi said, her voice suddenly sharp. "Ten o'clock, 800 meters, small—probably their barrel heating up."

If Ling Qingyu couldn't handle them, Tang Ziyi would snipe to help. They found the enemy's location.

Ling Qingyu exhaled, steadying her hands as she aligned her scope. There, in the distant gloom, was the faintest glint of heat. It wasn't much, just a brief slip-up from the enemy sniper, but it was all she needed.

This time, the enemy didn't hit her or suppress her. She somehow stayed out of their sight, hiding her presence. The hunting game reversed.

Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

"Still can't confirm it's them," Tang said. "Could be bait."

Ling's finger hovered over the trigger. She waited, her breathing slow and controlled. The rain pattered against the ground, a constant drumbeat in the tense silence. Then, she saw it—just the slightest movement.

"I'm taking the shot," Ling said quietly, and without hesitation, she squeezed the trigger.

The loud boom of her KSR-50 barely registered over the storm. Through the scope, she watched the bullet sail toward its target, a brief flash of light in the rain-soaked gloom. The faint outline of the heat signature vanished.

Immediately, she ducked back, cranking her rifle up as she withdrew her body. Sure enough, a similar whizz and splash of dirt popped where she just was.

Even if she trusted her equipment a little, nobody liked the feeling of a sledgehammer traveling over the speed of sound.

"Got him," Tang Ziyi confirmed. "One down."

Ling Qingyu wasted no time. She rose again and shifted the aim slightly, adjusting for the other sniper she knew would still be out there. The mercenaries had been good—too good to leave only one shooter.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Tang Ziyi said. "They're not done yet."

Ling Qingyu repositioned, now with a better understanding of the enemy's tactics. They had been caught off guard initially, but with one sniper down, the balance was tipping in their favor. Tang Ziyi kept scanning, calling out adjustments to her aim.

"There!" Tang Ziyi barked suddenly. "Nearby the eliminated tango, moving away—probably the spotter! He's escaping."

Ling Qingyu zeroed in on the new heat signature, tracking it as it darted between covers. It was a quick, desperate movement. The spotter had realized his partner was down and was trying to relocate, and Ling could sense the panic.

"I see him," she whispered, and without hesitation, fired again.

The bullet hit and collapsed the wall. However, the shot pierced the obstacle and landed on the target behind it.

This time, the result was immediate. The figure collapsed, sprawling out into the open, exposed. Ling Qingyu squeezed the trigger again. The second shot found its mark, finishing the target.

"Confirmed kill," Tang said, a grin on his face, praising Ling Qingyu's superb calculation, even though the two couldn't clearly see the running figure. This girl had learned from her last time.

Ling Qingyu allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction. The tide had turned quickly, and they had wiped out the mercenary sniper team. What had started as a battle of attrition, with the enemy holding all the cards, had now ended decisively in their favor.

The thrill and stakes involved made her feel addicted. "Any more?"

"Unlikely. From the first engagement, I reckon that's it. They had the first shot, the first sight," Tang said, shaking his head. "But they never accounted for us, eh? Pity, we own the first blood."

Ling grinned. "Got to admit. You love a good comeback."

"Sure do, you did brilliant." Tang Ziyi smiled.

Ling Qingyu nodded, wiping the rain off her rifle once more. "They were good," she admitted, "but not good enough."

"Damn, you never change, huh. Narcissist as always." Tang Ziyi smoked back. "I guess our higher caliber saves the day. Our bullets travel faster than theirs."

"Hmm.." Ling Qingyu pondered and agreed. "Otherwise, I won't even have the opportunity to duck back and avoid the bullet's trajectory."

"As always, you can't deny our luck. Luck is part of our strength. It's their fault that they didn't manage to hit you on the first try."

"You really want to see me, buckled away down the slope, do you?" Ling Qingyu's eyelids twitched as she complained at Tang Ziyi's anticipated tone.