Chapter 63: A Sniper Needs No Comrades

They say every finger is connected to the heart, and the wrist is no exception!

The robber leader completely forgot about the firearm that had dropped beside his feet.

He hurriedly used his left hand to grip his right wrist tightly, his face turning completely flushed, and roared toward the sky, "Damn it!"

"Ah!"

Simultaneously, the two jewelry store salesclerks beside the robber leader screamed out in fright.

Guided by the fire within the shop and the faint light filtering in from outside the window.

The two of them could now clearly see.

A young man, roughly one meter eighty-five tall, very lean, and with tanned skin, was standing right beside them.

He raised the iron mesh in his hand and brought it straight down onto the robber leader's head.

"Bang!"

With this blow, Qi Tian had clearly held back his strength; he only knocked the robber leader unconscious and had no intention of taking his life.

"What are you standing there for? Run outside immediately!"

Qi Tian waved his hand at the two of them, then abruptly turned around to search for the figures of others.

By this time, the other four robbers guarding the perimeter of the jewelry store had all been subdued by the SWAT officers.

The manager, under the protection of a SWAT officer, was rapidly retreating outside the jewelry store.

"You must be Comrade Qi Tian, right? My name is Feng Kang!"

At that moment, a rugged-looking man of about forty years old walked up to Qi Tian and said in a solemn voice.

"Good day, Captain Feng! Qi Tian, of the Vanguard Amphibious Unit, reporting for duty!"

Since the other man was the deputy captain of the SWAT detachment, the proper etiquette had to be observed.

Saluting Feng Kang with a standard military salute, Qi Tian frowned and asked, "Captain Feng, counting the two girls who just ran out, how many hostages were rescued in total?"

"The situation at the scene was too chaotic, and I haven't had a chance to count them yet. Shall I go out and check right now?"

"Sorry to trouble you!" Qi Tian nodded heavily. After replying to Feng Kang, he abruptly turned around and looked toward the back door of the jewelry store.

Just moments ago, when the lights went out and the blowtorch ignited the nylon box.

Qi Tian had been busy dealing with the robber leader while protecting the two jewelry store clerks, and hadn't paid attention to the back door.

The main entrance was guarded by SWAT officers; if there were any unusual circumstances, the back door was undoubtedly the biggest vulnerability.

With that thought, Qi Tian broke into a run toward the back door.

When he reached the back door and rendezvoused with the heavily armed SWAT officers stationed there.

Confirming there were no abnormalities, the heart that Qi Tian had been keeping in his throat finally settled completely.

The major robbery he had happened to stumble upon today had finally come to an end here!

"Qi Tian, Qi Tian!" Inside the jewelry store, Feng Kang's voice sounded once again.

Qi Tian hurried back and asked Feng Kang, "Captain Feng, has the number of rescued hostages been confirmed?"

"Confirmed, three in total—one manager and the two girls you rescued. But this situation clearly doesn't match what you reported at the very beginning!"

"It really is her!" A figure quietly flashed through Qi Tian's mind.

This person was dressed no differently from the other jewelry store salesclerks.

However, her behavior earlier had been far too abnormal.

Relying on his elite-level reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance skills, Qi Tian had noticed her long ago.

It was just that the situation had been urgent when the operation began, and Qi Tian hadn't kept his eyes on her, never expecting that she would take the opportunity to hide.

"Qi Tian, what do you mean by that? Who is this 'she' you're talking about?"

"A rat hiding upstairs. Captain Feng, if I'm not mistaken, this rat is the real key to today's robbery!"

As Qi Tian spoke, he stretched out a hand to point toward the ceiling—specifically at the ventilation duct where he had pried open a section of iron mesh.

Feng Kang was no fool either.

Hearing Qi Tian's words, and combining them with the number of hostages Qi Tian had previously reported, he instantly understood the implication behind Qi Tian's words.

He immediately ordered men to block both ends of the ventilation duct and sent SWAT officers inside to carry out the final capture!

...

One hour later.

Jiangnan City, SWAT Detachment Courtyard.

More than twenty veteran soldiers participating in the Vanguard Amphibious Unit selection all returned here, reporting and forming up.

Ouyang Nanyu, who had previously cooperated with Qi Tian to capture the spy leader Luomei, stood proudly at the head of the formation.

She was covered in dust, with a scrape on her face, looking as though she had just been through a fierce battle.

The others had also sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Clearly, this faction of foreign spies was indeed quite tricky to deal with!

Leng Qiangguo, Nie Feihong, Yu Congrong, and Feng Kang stood opposite them, looking solemn and meticulous.

"I now announce that the successful candidates for this Vanguard Amphibious Unit Reconnaissance Company selection are: Ouyang Nanyu, Zhao Jialiang, Lei Ming..."

Nie Feihong spoke in a resonant voice, reading out six names.

The remaining veterans whose names were not called out all flashed a hint of regret in their eyes.

"The rest of you whose names were not called may go to the mess hall for a meal. At exactly ten o'clock, a Vanguard bus will be waiting at the gate; don't be late. Qi Tian, stay behind!"

"Yes!"

The soldiers who failed the selection responded in unison and, with bitter expressions, walked toward the SWAT detachment's cafeteria.

Watching the group walk away, Yu Congrong took the initiative, walked up to Qi Tian, and stopped.

"Bare-handed, daring to risk your life against a criminal holding a firearm and with two hostages by his side—you've got guts, I like it!"

With that, Yu Congrong turned his head to look at Nie Feihong and Leng Qiangguo, paused for a moment, and said:

"Secretary Leng, Old Nie, Qi Tian's final assessment result was unfortunately failing the Reconnaissance Company selection, am I right?"

"That's right." Nie Feihong seemed to have guessed Yu Congrong's intention and replied with a straight face.

Having received his confirmation, Yu Congrong took another step toward Qi Tian, his tone instantly turning serious:

"Kid, you won't be able to get into the Vanguard's Reconnaissance Company, but I can offer you a new option: join my Jiangnan City SWAT Detachment!

I heard Secretary Leng mention that you were a sniper in your original unit. Come with me, and I'll keep you as a sniper.

Furthermore, the exclusive equipment you'll get here will be even more advanced than the ones you used in the Iron Fist Regiment!

Never mind anyone else's attitude for now; if you agree, just give a nod.

I, Yu Congrong, haven't thrown my weight around much over the years, but if you want to stay today, I'm willing to pound the table against Old Nie and Secretary Leng for your sake!"

Yu Congrong made no attempt to hide his fondness for Qi Tian, and at this moment, he was practically forcing the olive branch into Qi Tian's hands.

Meanwhile, Nie Feihong had no choice but to shift his gaze to Leng Qiangguo, hoping he would step forward and put in a good word.

It was true that Qi Tian's selection for the Reconnaissance Company had ended in failure.

However, the reason for his failure wasn't a lack of capability, but because he had been engaged in another meaningful task.

And because of his actions, the lives of three hostages had been directly saved.

Nie Feihong was one hundred percent certain that whenever there was another vacancy in the Reconnaissance Company in the future, Qi Tian would definitely pass the selection smoothly.

Yet if he chose to stay with the SWAT unit today, the situation would be entirely different.

Nie Feihong could tell that Yu Congrong had already thrown Leng Qiangguo's words from earlier that morning to the back of his mind.

He was determined to keep Qi Tian in the Jiangnan SWAT Detachment.

Even if a vacancy opened up in the Reconnaissance Company later on, no matter how much pull he, Nie Feihong, had, it wouldn't be easy to poach a sniper so meticulously cultivated by Yu Congrong!

Moreover, in Nie Feihong's view, while urban security was certainly important, a true frontline battlefield was the best stage for Qi Tian.

Right now, in terms of treatment and resource allocation, the SWAT detachment undoubtedly offered much more generous terms.

Leng Qiangguo, who had led Qi Tian all the way up, undoubtedly became Nie Feihong's last straw to clutch at.

Unfortunately, Leng Qiangguo showed no intention of expressing a stance at the moment.

Instead, he stood quietly in place, gazing at Qi Tian without saying another half-word.

Helpless, Nie Feihong pondered for two seconds before stepping briskly over to Ouyang Nanyu's side.

"Ouyang, I carefully reviewed the action report you wrote. It explicitly states:

Going to the immigration and exit administration to track down clues, subsequently finding the name list of people who bought fake watches at the Hongfu Antique Shop in the antique market,

and finally arresting Luomei at the bathhouse in the urban-rural fringe—these were all Qi Tian's ideas.

Although you played your part as well, in terms of contribution, you cannot compare to Qi Tian. Am I right?"

"Yes. In the matter of arresting Luomei, without me, Qi Tian could still have brought her to justice; he simply left the opportunity to me in the end.

However, I want to say that I, Ouyang Nanyu, am by no means inferior to him. As a sniper, I don't need any teammates, nor do I need anyone else's help!

He saved my life this morning, so I am willing to compete with him all over again to decide who is more qualified to join the Reconnaissance Company!"

This was the longest sentence Ouyang Nanyu had spoken in a single breath since Qi Tian had known her.

The moment she finished speaking, Ouyang Nanyu turned around to look straight into Qi Tian's eyes, her tone resolute: "I hear you're a sniper too. How about we have a match? The winner goes to the Reconnaissance Company!"

In truth, the questions Nie Feihong had asked Ouyang Nanyu just now

were merely meant to establish that in capturing the spy leader Luomei, the two of them had cooperated closely and neither could have done without the other.

If possible, he wanted both of them to join the Reconnaissance Company.

One acting as the sniper, and the other as the designated spotter.

Such a win-win outcome was what he preferred to see.

Yet at this moment, Ouyang Nanyu had put forward a completely new proposal, and the target of her challenge was pointed squarely at Qi Tian!

Most crucially, the offhand remark she uttered—that a sniper needs no teammates—had effectively cut off any room for Nie Feihong to mediate.

It seemed that she and Qi Tian were now destined to have a showdown, fighting it out to see who would win and who would lose!