I seemed to be retracing the route I’d taken when I first came here. That’s right—this time, our destination was Southeast Asia.
The Captain assigned me my first mission, but didn’t tell me what it was. As a fresh recruit, I had no idea what I could do. Still, from the unfriendly looks everyone gave me, I could tell this mission wouldn’t be simple.
After drifting at sea for more than half a month, we’d gotten to know one another quite well. I’d also come to see my comrades in a new light.
Sean Bird, Captain of the Undertaker Mercenary Group and one of its founders, had served in Delta Force and held the rank of Colonel.
Joseph, codename Demon, had once served in the SAS as an assault specialist. He was discharged after accidentally killing a civilian and joined the Undertaker five years ago.
Dennis, codename Samurai, was a guardian of God and a warrior of the Knights Templar. He’d once fought to protect the faithful. He’d joined the Undertaker purely to make money, and supposedly donated every cent to the Church to help children left homeless by war.
Navier, codename War Goddess, was usually just called Goddess. A top secret agent, computer expert, intelligence expert, weapons expert, and all-around fighter, she’d joined the mercenaries because she couldn’t stand the way certain organizations operated.
I didn’t know much more than that. Mercenaries all had their privacy, and many things they didn’t want to talk about.
But I could tell they’d all had extraordinary lives—lives so vivid they made me envious. By comparison, I was the most ordinary one.
There was also the owner of this ship, Captain Barty, who was a member of the Undertaker too. He was a boastful guy with a strong body odor, and he didn’t take part in combat. His only job was to provide support at sea.
During those days on the way, I was bored, so I learned a lot of military basics from Goddess, especially about weapons. Maybe because of my profession, I was very interested in firearms.
Although I’d never handled a real gun before, the principles were more or less the same, and it was easy to get the hang of using one.
Maybe I had a natural talent for it. The first time I used a sniper rifle, I hit a flying seabird fifty meters away. Captain Barty even opened a bottle of red wine worth thirty thousand US dollars to celebrate.
I couldn’t taste much of it, but I was grateful to the generous guy.
That casual gesture made me feel that I’d truly become one of the Undertaker Mercenary Group, one of their family.
On a calm afternoon, I lay on the deck, enjoying the sun.
Navier told me to make the most of the good times while I could. Once we disembarked, my easy days would be over.
I didn’t know what she meant, but I was enjoying myself. I felt more relaxed and at ease than ever.
After a while, footsteps sounded nearby. Demon walked over with two cans of beer and casually tossed one to me.
He leaned against the railing, tipped his head back for a drink, and gazed out at the distant sea. “I finally understand why the Captain and Goddess recruited you.”
“Huh? Why?”
At that, I sat up. To be honest, I had no idea why they were interested in me, either. Someone like me, who’d never even touched a gun, would only be a burden on the battlefield.
“Talent. A sniper’s talent. It’s hard to explain, but it really does exist.” Demon looked unusually serious.
“Come on, don’t joke around. It was our first time meeting. How could she know I had a talent for shooting?” I shook my head. I wasn’t about to believe that kind of nonsense.
“While you were in the hospital for those two days, Goddess got hold of your file. Of course, the information in it didn’t prove anything. But when you shot down that seabird, we were all stunned. That one shot was enough to prove recruiting you was the right decision. We need a powerful sniper. People like that are one in a million,” Demon said.
“Doesn’t the Undertaker have any snipers?” I asked in surprise.
“Of course we do. Every one of us can act as a sniper, but that’s not the same. You’ll understand once you meet a real expert. The gap in talent can’t be made up for.”
“The Undertaker used to have two peak snipers: Dragon King and Ghost.”
“When we were on a mission in Africa, Dragon King got hit in the head by an artillery shell. Maybe he’d forgotten to pray. The blast left nothing of him behind. We couldn’t even find a decent piece of flesh—only a dog tag and his destroyed sniper rifle.”
“He was Chinese, like you. He was strong—not just with a gun; his martial arts were just as impressive. He was the best comrade, the best Brother.”
“Now Dragon King is at peace, but the war hasn’t stopped. We need another sniper, and we’ve been waiting for that person all along. You’re a lot like him, and that’s another reason the Captain is interested in you.”
As he spoke of Dragon King, Demon couldn’t hide the sadness on his face. I couldn’t yet understand that kind of bond.
“So I’m his replacement?” His words made me feel defeated.
“No, of course not. Nobody can be replaced. You’re Tang, our new comrade!” Demon held out his fist to me.
“I might disappoint you!” I raised my fist too.
“Who cares? That’s a problem for later!” Demon leaned toward me, and our fists bumped together.
I tipped my head back and took a long drink of beer, then stood up and leaned against the railing.
“What if I told you that last shot was just luck? Would you be disappointed?”
“Heh, of course it was luck. We all know that. But that’s not what matters. What matters is gun sense—the feel of a gun. You have to feel it the same way you feel your own body, make it a part of you. Then you can wield it and control it freely.”
“I don’t get it!” I shook my head. It was too profound.
“How should I explain it? No matter how much training someone without gun sense gets, they can only become an ordinary sniper. Once they reach a certain point, training stops helping. But someone with gun sense has a creative mind. They can develop different sniper tactics for different environments and bring a sniper rifle’s power to its fullest. That’s what I mean by a peak sniper. Put simply, it’s the difference between a genius and an ordinary person.”
Demon explained at length. I couldn’t understand a lot of what he said, but I got the general idea.
“I always thought snipers were made by feeding them bullets!” I mimed aiming at something in the distance.
“You’re not wrong. We were all made by feeding on bullets. But my marksmanship still can’t compare to Dragon King’s. None of ours can. That’s the difference. That’s why he was a sniper and I’m not.” Demon shrugged.
“I wonder if I’ll become the next Dragon King.” I sighed. Honestly, I wasn’t confident enough to believe it.
“Your gun sense is excellent. You could feel it most clearly the first time you fired a gun. Have some confidence, Brother. We have high hopes for you!” Demon patted my shoulder encouragingly.
After more than half a month at sea, we finally arrived at our destination, J Country, a nation plagued by constant war.