Do you know how to shoot?

As he turned around, Li Changjiang saw the woman behind him clutching her chest. His face flushed with embarrassment. He reached out, touching his own chest. It had certainly not been intentional.

"Did you... call me?"

Hearing this, Li Changjiang's expression quickly regained its cold composure, casting aside the question. Now was definitely not the time to linger on whether the woman before him had a soft or ample chest. With two more burdens added, their only way out seemed to be eliminating the six men blocking their escape. There was no other option.

Moreover, he could not abandon two compatriots and break out alone. The key now lay in how to take down those six men.

"Do you have a watch?"

"Yes, yes!"

The woman's voice trembled slightly. Having just bandaged her companion's wound, her hands were stained with blood. Under such circumstances, it was already remarkable that she could maintain any composure. Li Changjiang could see her hand shaking as she raised it.

A man's protective instincts seem to arise naturally upon seeing a woman, and Li Changjiang was no exception. He himself hardly realized that, in less than five hours, he had transformed from a battlefield rookie into a seasoned veteran.

"Good. Let's synchronize our watches. Watch the time closely. I will exit from there. In three minutes, you must pull the trigger. Do you understand?"

As he spoke, Li Changjiang slid the last magazine into the chamber, handed the weapon to the woman, and grabbed another gun for himself.

"But I... I don't know how to shoot!"

The woman was clearly nervous.

Damn, shooting...

The situation suddenly became awkward. Li Changjiang felt helpless; shooting was not something one could master in a short time, especially with an assault rifle. The recoil alone could overwhelm someone who had never fired a gun before.

Worse, in a panic, she might simply throw the gun aside, which would mean his own death. His intention was to have her draw the rebels' attention with gunfire from the front, while he slipped out the back door to take them down one by one. He had just observed their positions—though concealed, if he could approach from behind, the scope display would allow him to kill them within ten meters. It was certainly feasible.

But if the front fire point failed, things would become complicated. Seeing the woman's utterly bewildered expression, Li Changjiang began to hesitate.

"Let me do it."

At that moment, as the woman grew embarrassed, Li Changjiang heard a faint voice. Turning, he saw the wounded man, his compatriot, had awoken.

"Thank you for saving me. Do you need someone to shoot? Let me. Meng Yao has never fired a gun, she can't use it."

Meng Yao?

Li Changjiang glanced at the woman. The name sounded pleasant, but she was clearly unreliable—at least in this moment. On the battlefield, beauty mattered little. No matter how stunning you were, a burst of bullets would still turn you into a corpse, perhaps even more tragically than others. Good looks weren’t armor against gunfire.

Meng Yao's cheeks flushed red. She had just stolen a glance at the man who had saved her and Liu Bo. Judging by his voice, he seemed young. His features were hard to make out—dusty and grimy, only his eyes and nose visible, with little sign of sharp contours. Yet the composure and lethal intent he had shown in combat made her curious. Was he a soldier?

If not, how could he be so formidable? She knew little about soldiers, but could see that the Libyan rebels stood no chance against him.

Seeing Li Changjiang sizing her up, her face grew even hotter.

"You? Do you know how to shoot?"

Li Changjiang wasn’t distrustful, but this was a matter of life and death; there was no room for error. The AK-47 was not a gun any man could simply use. If the weapon failed at a critical moment, he’d be done for.

"My name is Liu Bo. I learned how to shoot before."

Liu Bo’s voice was weak, but his complexion was less pale. Li Changjiang glanced at him, remembering he still had two chocolate bars in his pocket. Reluctantly, he pulled one out.

"Share this between you two. Keep up your strength. If we succeed, we'll need to leave the city."

Meng Yao and Liu Bo were both surprised at the sight of the chocolate, their eyes lighting up. Since the fighting began, they hadn't eaten in over a day. Had it not been for the constant tension, they would have been dizzy with hunger by now. Chocolate was a godsend at this moment.

"Do you know how to use the AK-47?"

Liu Bo glanced at the assault rifle in Li Changjiang's hands, nodding and then shaking his head, leaving Li Changjiang perplexed.

He felt like cursing—are you capable or not? If not, someone could die.

"Can you really use it?"

"Yes."

Hearing Liu Bo's firm tone, Li Changjiang was still uneasy. He carefully shifted closer to Liu Bo, demonstrated the rifle from start to finish, and highlighted a few crucial points.

Judging by Liu Bo's responses, he truly seemed to have learned how to shoot. Li Changjiang felt a bit of luck—though the risk was high, it was far better than relying on someone who knew nothing.

After eating the chocolate, the two revived somewhat; replenishing energy at such times was vital.

"What do you want me to do?"

Liu Bo asked cautiously.

"I plan to sneak out the back door and ambush them. If the rebels outside aren’t killed, we can't escape. If we wait until dawn, and more rebels arrive, we'll be doomed.

But the odds of me succeeding alone are too low. I need someone at the front to draw their attention with gunfire. We'll synchronize our time—when I start, you begin counting. After three minutes, you must fire outside to distract them.

Remember, don’t fire too quickly. There are only thirty bullets in the gun; you must control your rhythm, use short bursts. Make it clear you’re targeting them, but don’t let them realize you’re running out of ammo. If they rush you, no one can save you. Understood?"

Li Changjiang truly felt he'd done all he could. If Liu Bo couldn't manage, he’d have to accept fate.

Seeing Liu Bo nod, Li Changjiang flicked the safety off and crawled toward the back door.

Suddenly, a hand tightened on his arm.

"Be careful."

Meng Yao pressed her lips together.

Li Changjiang curved a slight smile at the corner of his mouth and nodded. Then he vanished into the night.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Two minutes and fifteen seconds.

As the appointed time approached, Liu Bo’s palm began to sweat, his finger trembling on the trigger, his whole body taut and unmoving.

Three.

Two.

Time’s up.

Liu Bo had no time to wonder whether Li Changjiang was in position or had succeeded; he simply followed their agreement and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet flew from the chamber, the muzzle flash blazing in the night, the crack of gunfire shattering the silence.

Rat-tat-tat!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As expected.

The gunfire prompted the rebels to counterattack, bullets raking the area. Meng Yao paled with fright. Liu Bo ducked, and as soon as the shooting paused, he aimed again and squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

A new day begins with the morning, and as you finish reading this new book, I ask for your recommendation vote!