28: Chapter 28: Epic Disaster 28: Chapter 28: Epic Disaster After reaching the rooftop, Gao Yang poked half his body out from the stairwell to look around and saw no one on the rooftop.
Feeling it was safe, he let Fedor come up to the roof, and the first thing Fedor did after getting there was to scan the area again.
Acting on a sniper’s instinct, Fedor quickly pointed out four high points likely to be occupied by other snipers and instructed Gao Yang to use his binoculars to observe each critical point.
Once they confirmed no snipers were in position, Fedor signaled Gao Yang to crawl with him to the edge of the roof.
The rooftop was surrounded by a half-meter-high parapet that could serve as cover.
Gao Yang crouched, observing through his binoculars the attic he was most concerned about.
Now he could see the entire panorama of the restaurant’s roof, and although he couldn’t see the entrance to the attic, he had a clear view of the staircase leading to it.
Seeing the attic clearly stirred a mix of excitement and worry in Gao Yang.
He and Cui Bo were close friends, real iron buddies.
During wargames, they were always on the same team and played together virtually every time.
They also ventured outdoors together, traversing many a hill and river.
Gao Yang had dubbed Cui Bo “Rabbit” because the guy could really run.
When Gao Yang first met Cui Bo, it was during a large outdoor game.
Cui Bo’s team got wiped out, leaving just him running around with a bolt-action sniper rifle.
The guy somehow managed to exhaust Gao Yang’s six-person team so thoroughly that with just a rudimentary bolt-action rifle, Rabbit picked them off one by one.
Out of both immense admiration and scorn for Cui Bo, Gao Yang nicknamed him “Rabbit”.
Because Cui Bo’s parents chose a name that was too peculiar and too easily ridiculed, Cui Bo preferred to be called “Rabbit”.
He would rather be referred to as an animal than have anyone mention his actual name.
Cui Bo’s greatest wish in life was to be a sniper.
Unfortunately, despite his excellent physical condition, he was severely nearsighted, making military service an impossibility.
He could only satisfy his cravings through games.
Moreover, when Gao Yang met him, Cui Bo was a student from an average-income family.
But once he stepped into the world of wargaming, Cui Bo was willing to survive on plain steamed buns for two months straight just to buy the cheapest bolt-action rifle.
Thinking of his long-lost iron buddy and the prospect of being reunited under such circumstances made it impossible for Gao Yang to remain composed.
He hoped the Cui Bo hiding in the attic was his friend, yet also hoped it was not the Cui Bo he knew.
His feelings were deeply conflicted.
Fedor noticed Gao Yang’s restlessness and patted him, saying in a low voice, “You must calm down, take deep breaths.
Don’t let your emotions control you, calm down.”
Gao Yang took a few deep breaths, forced himself to settle down, and nodded at Fedor, indicating he was okay.
Then he took a moment to observe the streets on either side.
The main road was now deserted.
The occasional person who did appear hurried by and quickly vanished, while sporadic gunfire continued.
Gao Yang handed his binoculars to Fedor, then risked sticking his head out to glance at the shop entrance right below him.
Three bodies lay by the door and an oil barrel was tossed aside, but Gao Yang saw no guns on the ground.
After retracting his head, Gao Yang placed the rifle on the parapet and aimed at the staircase.
His field of fire was clear, and his shooting position quite comfortable.
Gao Yang felt that once he adjusted his scope, he could completely block access to the staircase.
After his own observations, Fedor put down the binoculars and whispered, “Right now, it’s the calm before the storm.
Soon this will be the main battleground.
We’re too close to the square and streets where people are protesting, and that restaurant has the ability to control the entire street.
I think those mercenaries won’t give up making the restaurant their stronghold.
Also, do you see that building opposite the restaurant?
You need to watch it.
They’ll definitely take control of it to set up crossfire support.”
Gao Yang took the binoculars and closely observed the building across from the restaurant.
Though he saw no movement, he felt that Fedor was right.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool would definitely take that position, as the two spots could completely seal off a street and provide mutual support.
After Fedor was done, he said softly, “You need to zero your rifle.
It’s dangerous, but with all the gunfire around, zeroing the rifle won’t draw attention.
Find a spot near that restaurant to zero in.
That way, if you need to rescue your friend, you’ll have a better chance of hitting your target.”
Gao Yang nodded and aimed at an advertisement board next to the restaurant, featuring a large portrait that could serve as his target.
After informing Fedor of his target, Gao Yang aimed at the left eye of the portrait and fired a shot.
Instead of immediately checking the result, he quickly worked the bolt to reload, then used the scope to look for the point of impact.
“The point of impact is at eleven o’clock, one meter off.”
Fedor acted as Gao Yang’s spotter.
Gao Yang quickly located the point of impact and adjusted his scope before firing another shot.
“Eleven o’clock direction, ten centimeters off.
Very close now.”
On the third test fire, Gao Yang’s shot hit the left eye of the portrait accurately without any deviation.
To confirm the scope was optimally adjusted, Gao Yang fired two more shots, each hitting the mark precisely.
Fedor was very satisfied with Gao Yang’s marksmanship, and Gao Yang, in turn, was extremely pleased that a rifle, at least seventy years old, could still maintain such accuracy.
After reloading the rifle, Fedor whispered, “Do you know what’s most important for a sniper?”
Gao Yang thought for a moment and said, “Is it to kill with one shot?”
“Is it to kill the enemy’s commander?”
“Is it to ensure not being discovered by the enemy?”
As Gao Yang listed each possibility, Fedor shook his head.
Finally, with a serious look, Fedor said, “All that you’ve said is important, but the most important thing is to ensure that there’s no sniper opposite you.
If there is, kill him first.
A sniper’s greatest enemy will always be another sniper.”
Gao Yang nodded and replied, “Understood, I will target the enemy’s sniper as my first priority.”
Fedor nodded and continued, “Especially in this kind of small-scale, low-intensity combat, the enemy won’t call in artillery to bomb you, nor will there be planes to drop bombs on you.
If this were a real battlefield, these methods to deal with a sniper wouldn’t be exaggerated at all.
But now, if you take out the enemy’s sniper, then you’re safe.”
Gao Yang etched Fedor’s words firmly in his mind.
He had seen some sniper training materials and knew some commonsense, but Gao Yang wasn’t specially interested in the profession of snipers, so he hadn’t paid close attention.
However, learning on the battlefield was the most effective — he would remember anything after being told just once.
While there was a lull in the action, Fedor taught Gao Yang many things a sniper should know, such as how to measure wind speed and distance, and how to hide oneself.
Gao Yang could have learned these from materials if he was interested, but as an old soldier, Fedor had gained some insights and tricks only after experiencing life and death, and Gao Yang wouldn’t be able to learn those from books.
Gao Yang kept aiming at the roof of the restaurant, while Fedor kept sharing everything he knew.
Fedor had held back for too long, and now, being able to pass on his knowledge to someone else, especially during combat, gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.
As Gao Yang was carefully absorbing Fedor’s crash course in sniping, Fedor suddenly noticed a change and immediately stopped talking to pick up his binoculars.
The restaurant was to Gao Yang’s right, and at this time, from about 200 meters away on his left, a dozen people appeared on the street from a small alley, all armed.
“Eleven people, let me see, yes, they’re all locals.
They have a machine gun and an RPG, the rest have AK47s.
They must be part of some resistance militia or something.
Damn, do these idiots really think they can just stroll over and die like that?”
Gao Yang looked over and saw that the eleven people didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding their tracks, and just charged straight ahead.
After they passed the door beneath him, they didn’t stop but headed straight for the restaurant.
Moreover, while they were still over two hundred meters away, one of them began shooting at the restaurant’s front door.
When one person fired, the rest seemed to take it as a signal.
Holding their guns, they didn’t bother to aim and simply started shooting at the restaurant while running, and even the guy carrying the RPG fired at the restaurant while on the move.
Although the recoil of the RPG was actually quite small, firing it while running was problematic.
The RPG bearer stumbled and fell while firing, sitting on the ground as the rocket tore past just above the restaurant’s attic roof and flew off, final destination unknown.
Seeing that rocket narrowly miss the attic, Gao Yang was so frightened his heart was in his throat — for a moment, he thought the attic would be flattened by the idiot’s missile.
When those eleven people charged suicidally to within less than a hundred meters of the restaurant, gunfire finally came from inside.
A burst of bullets shot out of the restaurant’s windows.
The eleven fools, clustered together, were instantly hit and more than half fell to the ground.
The remaining three or four turned and ran but had only gone a few steps before they all fell, not one of them survived.
Fedor looked on, shaking his head and sighing deeply, “They are all civilians; I even recognize one of them.
They had just learned how to shoot, lacking the most basic training, and they just ran out to die like that.
Ah, a truly epic disaster.”
After saying that, Fedor pointed to the restaurant’s roof and said, “It’s very likely they’ll occupy the rooftop.
We need to be careful now.”
Just as Fedor’s words fell, a head appeared on the restaurant roof.
Gao Yang had not planned to shoot just yet, but he had been aiming at that staircase entrance, and, with his adrenaline running high, when he saw a black man holding a gun and showing half his body from the stairway, Gao Yang involuntarily pulled the trigger.
The black man was facing Gao Yang, and his shot hit the target squarely.
The man who had just peeked out suffered his skull cap blown off by the bullet, and he toppled back, falling down the stairway he had just climbed.
After the shot, Gao Yang realized the trouble he had caused.
Those people might have just come up to take a look or to establish a firing position on the roof, which would not have posed a direct threat to Cui Bo hidden in the attic.
However, now that he had fired, Cui Bo was actually in danger.