The Independent and Self-Disciplined Girl

This girl Li Shi was learning on the go. When they set out again, she held the gun with the muzzle at a 45-degree angle towards the ground, bent at the waist and knees as she moved forward.

Her left hand gripping the gun remained about ten centimeters from the ground.

This was the monkey leap tactical combat stance, a movement that allowed for rapid mobility and clearance of obstacles in the jungle.

It also minimized the exposed profile during movement.

Luo Jun couldn't help but smile when he saw the girl moving so properly. He told her that this method of movement consumed more energy than normal walking and was generally not used in combat readiness.

"I know, I'm just practicing!" Li Shi said enthusiastically, prompting Luo Jun to take her more seriously. He noticed that her left hand gripping the buttstock was inconsistently high and low, and reminded her.

"You must keep that left hand ten centimeters from the ground consistently, it's a strict requirement, it can't be higher or lower!"

"Why?" Li Shi didn't understand, this part of the movement seemed unimportant.

"When in combat, all of your attention will be on the surrounding environment using this movement, you won't be paying attention to whether your own movements are correct. But if the distance of your left hand from the ground becomes muscle memory, you won't easily raise your body higher, maintaining a consistent movement height. It's like driving and the habit of how you hold the steering wheel - when you're actually on the road, you definitely won't be paying attention to how you're holding the wheel. If you develop bad habits during practice, in an emergency situation it could lead to gripping the wheel incorrectly and causing a serious accident."

Luo Jun tried to explain it to Li Shi in the simplest terms, to help her grasp the key points.

These movements often seem unimportant to a novice, even useless.

But as an experienced veteran, Luo Jun knew that military movement regulations were developed through countless lives lost by those who came before. If you don't believe it, you'll have to verify it with your life on the battlefield.

"I see, I understand now."

After walking for a while, Li Shi felt very tired and straightened her back.

"So tiring, this gun is too heavy too."

Li Shi raised the gun as she spoke. Luo Jun smiled, "You haven't undergone strict military training, the weight of a rifle alone is enough to exhaust you, so you're still very far from being an actual sniper."

"Don't underestimate me, I'll improve!" Li Shi defiantly retorted, glaring.

Luo Jun didn't know what shaped her defiant nature, so he asked about her experience studying in America.

He learned that although from a wealthy family, this girl often did things alone and took care of herself, rarely seeing her father.

Children who grew up in such an environment either rebelled or became exceptionally self-disciplined - clearly she was the latter.

Her efforts might just be to gain her father's attention.

This reminded Luo Jun that since being rescued from the lifeboat to the island, she almost never mentioned her father or her relation to the Samsung Group in Korea.

She only spoke of little things about living with her grandparents in China.

So initially Luo Jun had mistaken her for an ethnic Chinese, not realizing she was half Korean.

"Uncle, tell me about ballistics!" Driven by her eagerness to learn, Li Shi persisted until Luo Jun could no longer refuse.

He had never met someone so actively eager for knowledge.

"To understand ballistics, you first need to know some basics about scopes, rifling and so on. Ballistics is divided into internal and external - the internal covers the path inside the barrel, external is from the muzzle to the target. The bullet spins after leaving the barrel due to the rifling inside, so you must know if your firearm has right or left-hand twist rifling. Sniper rifles have different rifling than standard assault rifles."

"What's different? They look the same to me!" Li Shi examined the gun as she spoke.

Luo Jun smiled and continued, "Standard assault rifle barrels are chrome-plated to prevent corrosion, but sniper rifles aren't, because the chrome-plating process would affect the point of impact."

Li Shi's eyes widened. She had seen and even used many guns at the range, but was completely unaware of these details.

Luo Jun wasn't surprised, as even some snipers didn't pay attention to such things.

But he still wanted to explain, because the training now would directly impact a sniper's shooting mindset for life.

"So what's the effect of right or left twist?" Li Shi continued to ask intently, her thirst for knowledge exceeding Luo Jun's expectations. From her questions, he could tell she was truly listening and learning.

Any coach or teacher would love having such an intelligent and eager student. When meeting one, they would want to impart all their lifetime's knowledge to continue their legacy.

"While the ballistic principles are simple, without extensive shooting practice, just me telling you won't be as effective. You'd be better off practicing your movement."

As much as Luo Jun wanted to share all his knowledge with her, he was afraid she wouldn't fully absorb it, creating obstacles.

"Uncle please, just tell me!" Li Shi pleaded insistently, leaving Luo Jun speechless. Was she like this at university too?

The journey was already very strenuous for her, yet she still wanted to learn these things.

Moreover, Luo Jun realized the water they had would only last one day, under low perspiration conditions. Talking and concentrating would consume more energy.

Luo Jun regretted not searching the area where he killed those two snipers earlier for canteens or water bottles.

Since they had been lying in ambush for so long, their water source was likely elsewhere, or they may have been preparing to return and discarded the bottles.

Having canteens would be much more convenient than these bamboo tubes.

"Looks like we have no choice, we'll need to alter our route to the river to collect some freshwater."

Luo Jun knew they could reach the upper stream of a river by going over the mountain ridge into the next valley.

"Do we have to travel at night too?"

Li Shi asked.

"We'll go to the river first, then before it gets dark, find a place we can camp overnight and set out again tomorrow."

Luo Jun explained the travel plan, and Li Shi nodded in understanding.

This journey would be the most unforgettable experience of Li Shi's life. Luo Jun wasn't treating her with the usual care given to a young woman - otherwise he wouldn't have brought her along. Since she came, she had to quickly adapt to whatever lay ahead.

As for the theoretical sniper knowledge, he could share that for now. With her intelligence, she should understand well.

The only thing lacking was practice, as ammunition was too scarce to let her use freely.

In basic training, recruits had to march carrying their rifles for weeks before being allowed live fire. She wasn't even a recruit yet, so definitely couldn't fire a weapon, unless ammunition was plentiful enough to waste.

"Uncle, hurry and tell me, I'm listening."

Seeing Luo Jun had fallen silent again, the impatient Li Shi urged him on.