283: Chapter 281 The First True Sniper Battle 283: Chapter 281 The First True Sniper Battle Gao Yang redirected all his attention back to the target area he had just abandoned, focusing entirely on the window behind which a bright light had just flashed.
Above the shipyard that had been illuminated, there was an awning that made the room even darker and more difficult to observe.
But it was precisely because of the awning above the window that Gao Yang was able to spot an inconspicuous streak of light on the windowsill.
Under the blazing sun, looking from outside into a window, one would find darkness within; it was very hard to see anyone hiding inside with the naked eye.
Although Gao Yang detected the light, he quickly realized that the particular window was actually not receiving any direct sunlight, so the source of the flash remained a mystery.
Gao Yang could not afford to ponder the source of the flash any longer.
He immediately put down his binoculars and attached a filter to his scope, but the result was still not great.
Consequently, Gao Yang simply snapped on the sunshade that was used for combat in bright light conditions.
The sunshade had only a small hole, and together with the coated filter lens, Gao Yang adjusted the light filtering of the scope to its limit.
Even in the very bright daylight, the light inside the scope was as dim as it could possibly be.
Under the harsh sunlight, filtering out the excess light inside the scope greatly aided in spotting targets in the dark.
However, after attaching the sunshade, the already small field of view in the scope became even narrower, so after pinpointing the direction, Gao Yang raised his gun and aimed at the window that had emitted the light.
“Found you, finally found you.
Don’t let me down, show yourself!”
Muttering to himself, Gao Yang aimed his gun at his target.
Through the scope, Gao Yang could see that there were likely two people behind the window.
Due to the angle, when Gao Yang looked at the window diagonally across from him, he could only see the front half of a large sniper rifle but could not see the shooter behind it.
Additionally, he could see two raised elbows, which most likely belonged to someone using binoculars to observe.
Seeing the body of the large sniper gun, Gao Yang knew he had found the right place.
The enemies were a sniper team, although it was unclear if the sniper and the observer were also the mortar observers, but at this point, it was irrelevant.
Gao Yang had already located the enemy’s position, but he did not have the opportunity to fire his weapon.
Considering the angle of the enemy sniper rifle’s muzzle, it, too, was aimed at Gao Yang, with just a slight deviation in angle.
Gao Yang estimated that the enemy’s bullets would land a bit to the right of his position.
Gao Yang and the enemy had both moved into firing positions, drawing their distance closer to about two hundred and seventy meters.
Although this made them nearer to each other, the angle had become smaller, leaving them only a gap less than a meter wide to utilize for a shot.
Gao Yang pointed the crosshairs of his scope at a spot on the window, with no doubt that the enemy was trying to locate him.
To get a view of Gao Yang’s position, they would have to expose themselves to his muzzle because observation and shooting were a two-way street; one must reveal themselves before targeting their opponent.
Undoubtedly, Gao Yang had gained the upper hand this time because he had discovered the enemy’s traces first, thus firmly securing the opportunity for victory.
However, the enemy never turned their gaze in his direction; the observer did not reveal themselves.
The observer did not offer a chance to be shot, which meant he was not watching Gao Yang’s area.
This puzzled Gao Yang as it seemed unlikely the enemy would ignore the window he occupied without paying attention.
The only explanation was that the enemy had already searched his location and, after deeming it not a threat, shifted their focus elsewhere.
Gao Yang’s brain was working at full capacity as he sought a way to force the enemy to expose a part of their body worth shooting.
He glanced quickly to the side of the target window, intending to find out why the enemy’s window could produce a flash.
With one glance, Gao Yang identified the reason.
On the street below the target window was a car riddled with bullet holes, but the glass on the rear window remained intact.
The reflection from the car window cast light into the room, which reflected off any reflective surface such as a scope back to the windowsill.
The reflected light from the car window was now quite dispersed, making the subsequent reflection very faint, and it was only by chance that Gao Yang had caught that weak gleam.
In a strict sense, this was Gao Yang’s first true sniping mission.
His previous combat style leaned more toward that of a marksman.
Among all his past combat experiences, only the operation in Benghazi to rescue Cui Bo, guided by Fedor, touched a bit on sniper tactics.
Overall, Gao Yang had relied on his rapid aiming ability to repeatedly shoot and kill the enemy sniper.
The main distinction between a sniper and a marksman lay in the requirements for quick aiming and repeated shots; the sniper’s demands were lower than those of a marksman.
Of course, this was not to say snipers were less capable in those areas but rather that they often did not need to perform such actions.
Snipers on a real sniping mission can often only take one shot, especially when targeting important figures.
Failing to hit with the first shot means the mission is declared a failure, and in a real sniper duel, a miss could also mean death.
Gao Yang could think of no good solution.
If he also had a sniper team, he could fire a shot to try to draw the enemy’s attention, but since he was alone, there were only three possibilities: either the enemy sniper would move again, he might kill the enemy while they attempted to shoot at him, or he would be quickly counterattacked and taken down by the enemy.
Confident he wouldn’t be hit if he was prepared, Gao Yang still couldn’t ensure that he could lure the enemy out, nor could he ensure that the enemy would shoot at him, unless he initiated a shot to tempt the enemy sniper into shooting, and performed flawlessly, making the enemy think he was shooting at a real target.
Gao Yang kept thinking of a solution, recalling all the knowledge he had learned about what a sniper should do in difficult situations.
When faced with adversity, the first thing that came to Gao Yang’s mind was what Fedor had taught him.
Although Fedor had only taught him for a few hours, the experience he gained in actual combat, along with the valuable experience of a veteran sniper who had survived countless battles, was unforgettable for Gao Yang.
Fedor was a true sniper, a true ace.
Although he had killed only one hundred and four people—fewer than Gao Yang—the value of Fedor’s kills far exceeded Gao Yang’s.
Who did Fedor kill?
Officers, enemy snipers, or heavy weapon operators.
Besides these targets, Fedor would not shoot at all, because his battlefield was in North Africa during World War II, where the discovery of a sniper by either side would result in artillery barrages as if the shells were free, relentlessly bombarding the suspected sniper location.
Both sides took extreme precautions against snipers, yet under such conditions, Fedor still managed to kill more than a hundred people.
Right, the kills that counted towards Fedor’s record were only those made in defense, not in offense; only confirmed kills with an observer or someone to verify counted.
The German regulations were indeed strange, but those were the rules.
What about the people Gao Yang killed?
Libyan militias, Somali militias—they knew nothing about countering snipers.
Therefore, among Gao Yang’s kills, the only one of real value was a former member of the SBS.
“If your opponent is a sniper, you’ve got to be careful.
The enemy of a sniper is always another sniper.
If you want to kill your opponent without a clear shot, it’s easier with the support of comrades.
But if you’re alone, then you need to figure out a way.
Make your opponent think that you haven’t spotted him and that your target is someone else—someone important enough not to make your opponent suspicious.
Take a shot to draw your opponent out into shooting at you, but remember, even if you really find an important target, don’t make a move unless you are confident that you can lure your opponent in and kill him.”
I call this the ‘fishing’ tactic.
Find a sufficiently tempting target for the enemy, use it as bait for your opponent, and then turn yourself into bait.”
Recalling Fedor’s words, Gao Yang chose the ‘fishing’ tactic, swallowed the enemy’s bait, turned himself into bait, and then lured the enemy out.
The key was to be careful not to turn into the caught fish himself.
The muzzle of the sniper rifle from the window moved slightly.
Gao Yang could now see the scope on top of the rifle but still couldn’t see the enemy, and the observer was completely out of sight.
Gao Yang didn’t dare wait any longer, fearing the enemy sniper team might move again.
There were plenty of potential targets on the street, but none valuable enough.
Now that the enemy was aware of the opposing sniper, their shots would not be taken lightly.
Gao Yang wanted to find a target that appeared valuable enough to use as bait, so it wouldn’t seem like he was exposing himself intentionally.
Gao Yang had to assume his opponent was the fiercest possible.
In fact, the enemy sniper’s performance also seemed to be at that level, so he needed to find an opportunity, a chance to lure the enemy out.
Gao Yang was not in a hurry.
He feared the enemy might move again, but he would rather search for the enemy’s trail again than alarm them prematurely, nor would he expose himself if the enemy refused to take the bait.
In this duel, the consequences of a mistake were grave.
Gao Yang refused to make mistakes because that meant death.
So, he had all the patience to wait it out, waiting for the enemy to make a mistake, or for a sufficiently tempting bait to appear, so he could take the initiative to swallow it.
(To be continued.
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