Chapter 95: Shortcut

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Shortcut

"Commander, I’ve got a question. The sniper position is super important, so why give it to a girl?" The guy, probably in his twenties, scratched his head and looked at Renee Morgan, puzzled.

Everyone’s gaze followed, landing on Renee Morgan. They muttered in English, whispering—none of the comments sounded very friendly.

The commander was confused too, but he couldn’t decide the roles himself. As the murmurs grew below, he knocked on the table: "Everyone, quiet."

The room went silent instantly.

The commander didn’t answer the man’s question right away. He spoke solemnly: "I believe everyone sitting here made it into the base competition zone on their own merit. Renee Morgan got this role because of her skills. We can’t judge people based on appearances."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then the whispers started up again. Someone raised their hand.

The commander had those in the front row sit down, then gestured for someone in the middle row to stand up and ask their question.

"Commander, the sniper position is so important. If this girl... Renee Morgan can’t handle it, do you actually have the authority to switch her out?" He paused for a second, then flashed a confident smile: "I’m a professional pistol shooter, won an Olympic gold once, first place twice at the World Shooting Championships, domestic league events..."

He went on and on, bragging about his impressive resume.

People watching the livestream already recognized who he was.

Yep, he’s a big deal in the pistol world.

The people who already doubted Renee Morgan getting this role got a lot more restless.

[Renee Morgan may have gotten first place among a dozen teammates in the show, but compared to these monsters, she’s way out of her league.]

[Exactly, you know how each field has its specialists. Renee Morgan as the sniper makes this team feel a lot weaker.]

[If I were Renee Morgan, I’d give up the sniper spot—not for anything, it’s just too attention-grabbing. If she doesn’t perform, it’ll mess up the whole team, and nobody will have a good time.]

[...]

The commander was patient, listening as the pistol Olympic Champion finished, then smiled and said, "So how did you get eliminated earlier?"

"..." The Olympic Champion’s smile froze instantly, staring at the commander in silence.

The commander grinned: "I bet you fought hard for this slot. You’re a pistol specialist, so it’s definitely not a technical issue. Let me guess why you got eliminated..."

"It’s probably overall criteria, like reaction speed, physical fitness tests, psychological assessment..."

The commander listed the standard tests for the base competition zone—each with scores, all ranked. That determined not only whether they were selected but also which role each person got.

The Olympic Champion’s smile was completely gone, his confident chin dropped, a stiff awkwardness creeping onto his face.

He’s unmatched in pistols—if it were just about technical skill, the sniper role would be his, no contest. But snipers need more than just skills: physical fitness, psyche, quick reflexes... All those requirements, you have to be top-notch. He got reassigned to another role for that exact reason.

Everyone saw his reaction and finally started to get why.

Still, when they turned to look at Renee Morgan, their eyes were full of doubt.

Never mind technical skills, this girl’s so pretty—she really aced all the fitness tests, psychological tests, quick reflexes and everything else?

How can they buy that?

The commander saw he was convinced, looked away, and glanced at Renee Morgan, his gaze a bit complicated. He said seriously: "Renee Morgan earned this role—I’m sure her overall scores met the standards."

Renee Morgan: "..." She hadn’t even taken any tests.

The commander moved on to other matters, and Renee Morgan let out a secret sigh of relief.

A face suddenly popped up close above her—startling Renee, who glared at Jay Monroe: "Can you focus? Stop staring at me."

Jay Monroe’s eyes narrowed, sly: "Did you sneak in through the back door?"

Renee Morgan took a breath: "Back door, front door, whatever—it’s a shortcut, a shortcut..."

Jay Monroe saw how nervous she looked and decided she was just making excuses.

Thinking about her hesitating in the base forest before, he felt annoyed. He’d assumed these base games were a huge deal, and the sniper position was so crucial. He worked his ass off to get it, only to be paired with this kind of teammate?

What the hell! Total scam!

Renee Morgan looked at Jay Monroe, who’d gone from a smirk to slouching, giving her side-eye every so often. She was speechless.

Their combat abilities were worlds apart, but did he have to look at her with that "disgusted" expression?

Once the commander finished answering all their questions, he started deploying the operation plan.

Anyone could voice opinions on his tactics, and everyone compared notes.

Of course, unless the commander’s plan had a huge flaw, nobody dared complain about their assignments.

Everyone listened closely—after all, everyone wanted to survive, rack up headshots, and end up the biggest winner.

Renee Morgan and Jay Monroe, as the team’s two main snipers, were the core members. Their assignments included: designated kills, squad overwatch, fire support, patrol hunting, breaking non-essential equipment, and precision eliminations.

Also, when snipers operate in urban environments, they mainly: remove enemy snipers from the target area—that is, enemy snipers.

Remove any powerful enemy combatants in the area—that’s right, if the enemy sends a hundred-man powerhouse, the sniper’s job is to take them out at any cost.

They also have to observe and monitor a specific zone, record and report enemy activity, and use their hidden positions to help the rest of the squad. Sometimes they’ll be sent to support frontline assault teams.

The commander finished all this and looked at Renee Morgan and Jay Monroe: "Snipers, are you confident about the mission?"

All the players focused again on Renee Morgan and Jay Monroe—mostly Renee.

They still couldn’t believe she could actually fill the sniper role.

Renee Morgan straightened up, energized: "Yes!"

Jay Monroe actually gave her some face, not showing any attitude, and said yes too.

Once the plan was laid out, Renee Morgan and Jay Monroe got their temporary orders—after tomorrow’s game starts, their first task was to observe and monitor enemy movements, report to the commander, and assist other squad members.

The rest of the team got their own assignments too.