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Gu Xiaoxi quietly exhaled, calming her heart that was racing from the run. She hid behind a large tree trunk, clutching the gun in her hands.

Luckily, she hadn’t yet faced the top four experts head-on; otherwise, she would have been dead for sure. Ranked fourth, Zhu Zheng wasn’t the most powerful in martial arts, but he was among the best in terms of reaction speed and experience.

At the same time, it was conceivable.

If Zhao Zilong lost in this exercise, he would be extremely angry. After all, he was a true master...

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Gu Xiaoxi’s forehead.

"Gu Xiaoxi, I know it’s you," Zhu Zheng said with a chilling tone. Among the recruits, no one else could instantly shoot down his three teammates and quickly hide except for Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi chuckled softly, quietly climbing up the tree trunk to perch on a thick branch. She was as light as a swallow and as sensitive as a leopard; Zhu Zheng hadn’t noticed her slightest movement.

This time, Gu Xiaoxi hid among the leaves, holding her breath as she aimed at Zhu Zheng. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, she saw a red snake, its forked tongue flicking out, coiled and ready to strike Zhu Zheng’s neck.

The snake looked highly venomous at a glance. Gu Xiaoxi quickly adjusted her aim and fired at the serpent’s head.

A loud "bang" echoed, and Zhu Zheng turned towards the direction of the gunfire, firing wildly. Afterwards, when he found no one, he felt a surge of disappointment.

But when he turned around, he instead discovered a snake lying on the ground, barely alive.

The bullet had gone into the snake’s mouth and come out the top of its head; clearly, the viper was not yet completely dead.

Zhu Zheng stared at the dying snake, his expression growing deep. Had Gu Xiaoxi just saved his life?

As he was lost in thought, a gunshot sounded, and a puff of blue smoke rose from his head.

Zhu Zheng’s face darkened; he was ’dead’!

It was then that Gu Xiaoxi jumped out from the woods, looking at Zhu Zheng with a sly smile. "It seems I have offended you again. But I did save your life, so let’s call it even. Next time we meet, no more grudges, okay?"

Zhu Zheng rolled his eyes and gave Gu Xiaoxi a thumbs-up. "This was my lack of vigilance, thank you for the rescue. From now on, I’m open to learning from you."

Both were speaking very politely.

"Not at all, not at all," Gu Xiaoxi chuckled lightly, then waved to Zhu Zheng as she walked towards the camp. It was about time for Zhao Zilong to catch up.

After taking down Zhu Zheng, the last two were no challenge for Gu Xiaoxi, who dealt with them in one go.

When she entered the tent and saw the two hostages, she was startled. "The company commander and the instructor?"

Chen Zhigang chuckled and clapped for Gu Xiaoxi, praising her loudly: "I didn’t expect you to really find this place."

"Company Commander, does this mean the drill is over now? I’ve completed my mission," Gu Xiaoxi saluted Chen Zhigang. Her movements were bold, her figure valiant, and her expression a little smug.

Chen Zhigang smiled warmly and nodded, patting Gu Xiaoxi on the shoulder. "I declare the exercise over. Gu Xiaoxi is the champion of this drill. I award you the title of the top expert of the company."

"What!" Gu Xiaoxi was dumbfounded on the spot.

Wasn’t Zhao Zilong the top expert of the company?

If she took away his title, wouldn’t he think about killing her every day, challenging her, and then beating her a thousand times over in Martial Arts?

Gu Xiaoxi grimaced, turning to Chen Zhigang with a smile that was uglier than crying, "Company Commander, I don’t want the title. As for being first in the exercise, I just played a few clever tricks. I’m not on par with the top three."

"You’re being modest, Gu Xiaoxi. No matter what means you used, as long as you’re first in the exercise, you deserve the top rank on the list of masters. Haven’t you always wanted to be first?"