Chapter 29 Chapter 29
Liam's POV
I stood behind the Captain, watching the students gradually returning to the assembly point. Their clothes and helmets were covered with paint marks—meaning they'd been eliminated in the shooting competition.
Jake Morrison and a dozen camp counselors stood there quietly, silently waiting for the game to end.
I followed the Captain and several teammates, walking along the distant cement path. The Captain led the way, with us fully-equipped operatives following behind him.
The Captain was the quintessential American Special Forces image—clean-shaven buzz cut, deep blue-gray eyes, sharp jawline, with a few shallow scars from battlefield wounds. He stood about 6'3", broad-shouldered, walking with that distinctively military straight posture and commanding presence.
Seeing us approach, Jake Morrison first froze, then showed a somewhat surprised expression. He obviously knew military personnel used this training area, but hadn't expected to run into them today.
"Hey there." Jake initiated the greeting, his tone friendly but probing. Though the camp had a cooperation agreement with the military, he didn't know these specific special forces members.
The Captain nodded, responding in that characteristically concise military manner: "Afternoon. Special Forces from the base up north. We're running jungle warfare drills today—northern perimeter, per the agreement."
Jake's expression relaxed somewhat as he nodded: "Right, right. The base access thing. Just wasn't expecting you guys today..." He gestured toward the assembled students at the gathering point, "We've got kids doing their outdoor ed activities, so..."
"Yeah, we saw." The Captain's mouth curved into a faint smile, "Don't worry. We'll stay clear of your area. Just passing through, saw the action, figured we'd check it out."
The other counselors visibly relaxed after hearing this exchange. So these were the military personnel from the cooperation agreement, not some unexpected situation.
The Captain watched those students gradually returning, covered in paint marks, asking with a hint of interest:
"Paintball tournament?"
Honestly, for those of us who'd actually experienced real gunfire and combat, this was playground stuff compared to real combat. But the Captain's tone carried a relaxed curiosity, as if he'd spotted something interesting.
"Yeah, paintball comp." Jake answered, "Part of the outdoor ed program. Teamwork, tactics, all that good stuff."
The Captain nodded, rubbing his arm. I watched him turn back toward us, saying:
"Been a while since we had some fun. What do you say, boys? Want to crash their little war game? Give these kids a taste of the real deal?"
I was somewhat surprised, but didn't express my thoughts—military obedience to orders was ingrained.
Jake, hearing the Captain's words, showed a conflicted expression:
"Uh... sir, with all due respect, if you guys join in, these kids are gonna get absolutely smoked."
But Jake didn't outright refuse either—after all, we were from the cooperating military base, and to some extent, we had the right to use this training ground.
"Ha!" The Captain laughed heartily, waving his hand: "Relax. We'll go easy on 'em. Could be a good learning experience, right? Show them what real operators move like. Character building and all that."
Jake hesitated for a few seconds, looking at the other counselors around him. They exchanged a few glances. Honestly, refusing a request from military personnel wasn't wise, and what the Captain said made sense—this could indeed give the students a unique experience.
"Alright." Jake finally relented, but added: "Just... try not to traumatize them too bad, yeah? They're freshmen."
"Copy that." The Captain nodded, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Though Jake had agreed on the surface, I could tell he still maintained some wariness toward us unfamiliar military personnel. This was normal—though the camp and military had an agreement, as a counselor responsible for student safety, Jake had to remain vigilant.
Jake found us black helmets and equipped us with the same paint-pellet rifles as the students. As he handed over the equipment, he specifically instructed:
"Alright, so these are tuned down for safety—standard range for teenagers. And there's about fifty kids still out there. Please keep that in mind."
"Understood." I took the equipment, nodding to him in acknowledgment.
I followed the Captain, and under his lead, several of us spread out and entered the forest.
After entering the woods, I casually eliminated a few passing students. Honestly, for me this was effortless. I continued forward, hiding behind a tree, scanning the surrounding environment.
Suddenly, I spotted two students ahead—a boy and a girl.
Perfect opportunity.
I quickly aimed and fired two shots without hesitation. With my marksmanship, this should have been an easy hit.
But then something unexpected happened—that female student, as if she'd sensed my ambush directly, dodged my shot in one swift move!
I froze.
Someone with that kind of agility was just a female student?
Had I seen that right?
I hid behind the tree, feeling somewhat indignant, preparing to take a second shot at the girl.
However, when I looked out again toward the distance, I couldn't find any trace of them.
Where'd they go?
Did they run?
I began to feel confused. Just as I was about to change positions and continue searching—
Behind me, a girl's low laugh suddenly rang out:
"Nice hiding spot. Too bad I found you anyway."
In that instant, my previously relaxed mindset completely shattered. My entire being tensed up, cold sweat breaking out on my back.
When did she appear behind me!
I hadn't sensed anything at all!
I mechanically turned around, my gaze falling on a young girl pointing a gun at me, wearing a brilliant smile.
Black long hair, delicate features, those deep eyes gleaming with a sharpness that didn't belong to an ordinary high school student at all.
Could this little miss's skills actually be above mine!
How was that possible—
"Bang!"
Before I could think further, a bright paint splotch bloomed on my chest.
I'd been eliminated.
By a female student.
The girl winked at me, smiling brilliantly: "Thanks for playing~"
Then, like a ghost, she disappeared into the forest depths.
I stood there, looking at the paint mark on my chest, not moving for a long time.
Derek's POV
Watching those paint-splattered students shuffle out of the woods one by one, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. The forest suddenly emptied out, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.
As a Special Forces Captain, my team and I had years of combat experience together. Our coordination was so tight that a single glance could communicate everything we needed to know.
Now, I waved a few team members over to regroup. Scanning the area, I couldn't help but shake my head.
"These kids today just don't have it. I remember the group from a few years back—they had real fire in them. Some of those recruits had serious potential."
One of my team members standing beside me chuckled:
"Cap, you can't expect boot camp standards from high schoolers. These aren't your soldiers."
Hearing this, I laughed too. We exchanged glances, all sharing the same knowing smile. Fair point—maybe my expectations were a bit too high.
After a moment, my gaze swept forward and caught sight of a familiar figure.
"There's Liam!" I pointed ahead to the others.
Liam was one of our guys—tall, dark-skinned, built like a tank.
We all turned to look. At first, I didn't think anything was wrong. But with the visual acuity honed from years of training, I quickly spotted the paint mark on Liam's chest.
My heart sank. That meant Liam had been hit!
It couldn't have been friendly fire—which meant one of these students had taken him down. Curiosity sparked in my chest. Which kid was good enough to eliminate Liam? Maybe there really was some hidden talent in this group after all.
However, Liam's next words caught all of us completely off guard:
"Captain, I ran into one of the girls out there—she moves like a damn operator! Watch yourselves, she's probably close by, hunting you guys right now."
Before I could even process what he'd just said—
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!
Gunfire erupted from everywhere at once. Not from one direction—from all of them. The forest exploded into chaos.
Paint rounds whistled past my ear. Thudded into the tree beside me. Spattered across Liam's shoulder before he could even move.
My instincts kicked in—get down, find cover, return fire—but my body couldn't keep up.
Another shot. Then another. They came too fast, too precise, like a goddamn machine gun on full auto.
I felt impacts on my helmet, my collar, my chest—everywhere. Bright paint splotches bloomed across me and my teammates.
Every single one of us—including me, the Captain—got hit. Not one escaped.
In that moment, my mind went blank. I could barely believe it. We were Special Operations personnel, and we'd just been wiped out by a high school girl? And we couldn't even fight back—couldn't even dodge her shots!
The silence that followed was deafening.
My team and I stood frozen, still in shock, when a girl's low laugh drifted through the trees:
"KO. Total wipe."
Her voice was soft, almost casual—but it hit like a thunderclap. My entire body went rigid.
Only then did the reality fully sink in: just moments ago, we—a team of trained operators—had been systematically eliminated by a teenage girl. In our own domain, jungle warfare. By an ordinary high school student... we'd been taken out.
I lifted my head and saw the figure emerging from the shadows—the girl who'd just dismantled us.