Time-Limited Hunt

The sound of Shi Shanyan's heartbeat gradually coincided with the timing of the instruments in the basement, and he fell into a bizarre dream on the cold operating table.He saw his scope, which contained many strangers.

The expressions of these people before they died were all too similar.Shi Shanyan didn't remember their names, he only recognized Fox Eye.

***

Border jungle in 2160.

It had just rained, and there was a smell of rotting animals and plants floating here.Shi Shanyan lay on the slightly sunken grass nest and stared at the other party for nearly six hours.Sweat was dripping down his cheeks to his neckline, and the area around his neck was damp.

There was a small noise from the receiver in the ear, it was the Panther mission liaison speaking.

"Call 7-001, Commander's latest order..."

Shi Shanyan raised his hand, took off the receiver, and crushed it.He didn't wipe his sweat, and didn't move any more, but maintained the posture of holding the gun, focusing all his attention on the scope.

Target Fox Eye, an active member of the Panthers, number 7-004, is 185cm tall and weighs 85kg.He infiltrated the enemy's army to spy on important members of the Confederate Army, and has now defected.

Shi Shanyan's task is to kill Fox Eye in the border forest and prevent Fox Eye from returning to the Southern Alliance.He followed Fox Eye into the dense forest a week ago, shot down Fox Eye's observer and recorder successively, and then fell into a stalemate with Fox Eye.

Foxeye also had a Confederate action team with him.

Mosquitoes bit Shi Shanyan's body, and he remained motionless, even breathing at a certain frequency.Unwiped sweat dripped into his eyes, making Shi Shanyan's eyes sore and stinging, but he didn't rub them.

20 minutes later, it was dark.The fox eye on the opposite side got back into the accompanying tent without lighting the lamp.The night watchmen outside the tent did not light the fire either, and they stood chatting in the open space on the side of the tent.

Shi Shanyan finally closed his eyes, pulled out a clean wet wipe from his close-fitting pocket, and wiped his eyes.A little physical tears oozed from the eyes due to the stinging pain, Shi Shanyan covered them for a few seconds, and then put the dirty wipes back.

Fox eyes don't move at night, this is Shi Shanyan's rest time.

Shi Shanyan took out the kettle and took two mouthfuls of water.He doesn't like to eat when he is doing tasks. The feeling of satiety will affect his ability to respond, but his physical energy is consumed too much, and he must rely on food to replenish his physical energy.

Shi Shanyan ate the compressed biscuits in a few bites, put the gun on his back, and climbed up the side tree.The branches and leaves here are very dense, he hid the muzzle of the gun under the leaves, and pointed at Foxeye's tent through a little gap.

Foxeye's tent was hung with curtains, but the interior could not be seen from Shi Shanyan's position.Fox Eye is very sensitive to angles. He has made no mistakes along the way, and has been limiting Shi Shanyan's sniper vision.

Shi Shanyan couldn't shoot rashly, it would reveal his position.

The members of the night watch chatted and laughed. They knew each other well and had absolute trust in each other.

When Shi Shanyan saw their expressions through the scope, his heart was calm.The real rainy season will be ushered in here in a week, and it will become more difficult to lurk by then.Shi Shanyan didn't have enough medicine, he just wanted to kill Fox Eye as soon as possible and leave the dense forest.

The more the other party talked, the happier they were, and they would look at the fox eyes in the tent from time to time.Fox Eye stayed well in the Southern Front Alliance. He was the number one sniper of the Southern Front Army, and the title "Fox Eye" was also an honorary name bestowed on him by the Southern Front Army.

Shi Shan held the gun steady, took out the micro-receiver he had prepared from his pocket, scratched the small gear on the micro-receiver with his fingertips, adjusted the receiving channel, and put it on his ear.

When the Panthers were on missions in dangerous places, they could only rely on the mission liaison officer to obtain outside information, but Shi Shanyan didn't trust anyone, so he prepared it himself.The tiny receiver, noisier than the Panther receiver, contained a looping feed of league news.

"The league wants everyone to stay calm and not be alarmist. Smart systems are a hot topic, but they're just a tool of our lives at the end of the day..."

The night watchman on the opposite side lit a cigarette, and they were still chatting.A spider crawled over Shi Shanyan's tiger's mouth, but he didn't respond, staring at the other side and continuing to listen to the news.

"The immaturity of the vehicle system is something that relevant technicians need to reflect on... Now that the teaching system has been put into experimentation, the effect is very good, and the children are very healthy." The news anchor was a little excited, "Of course, the best is ours' Lord God System'. The expert observation team is very satisfied with Athena's performance in the Inspectorate, it can even spontaneously track down the old case records in the past, and the speed of screening key information is hundreds of times that of humans..."

Shi Shanyan also wanted to smoke.His Adam's apple moved slightly, and he looked up.

A small star appeared among the dense branches and leaves, like a dimly lit boat, which was about to be overturned by the cloud.

The news broadcast in the tiny receiver suddenly stopped and fell into a busy tone, but after more than ten seconds, it became silent again.

No.

Shi Shanyan heard very shallow breathing, not silence.

"...Hello." The person on the opposite side spoke after a long time.

Shi Shanyan didn't answer.

The other party seemed relieved.His voice was very soft, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

"Hello," said the other party very politely, "Unfamiliar receiver, this is the Garden Channel...I am the late night anchor 'Glass'."

Shi Shanyan suspected that the micro receiver was broken, and this was not the news channel he ordered.

"What are you doing?" The other party didn't know anyone was listening, he was just talking to the receiver, "Oh," he said to himself, "you have been dropped. Your positioning shows that you are... in the distant on the borderline."

Yes.

Shi Shanyan raised his eyebrows inexplicably, and answered in his heart.

You can hang up and switch back to my news channel.

"Let's play a game and let me guess your experience." The other party seems to be used to this kind of soliloquy. He speaks with a nasal voice, and he may still be suffering from a cold. Acting like a baby.

"Your brand shows that you only sell it in the light track area, but the price is cheap, and it is also sold in other areas. But this is too far away. Is your master a secret agent? He ran to the place where the war was fought and hid in the dense forest," The other party said, "Is he a sniper? I only thought of this possibility."

The vigil members on the opposite side had already sat in front of the tent, and it was time for Fox Eye to sleep.It was very dark at the moment, and it had only rained in the afternoon, and it might rain again in the evening.Shi Shanyan hoped not to fall, his clothes were not dry yet, and the rain would affect his vision.

"He was shot, that's why you stay here, no one can take you back to the normal world."

Shi Shanyan: "..."

The other party had no intention of stopping such unilateral communication, and Shi Shanyan guessed that he might have no friends, and was a stay at home... hacker?Anyway, the brain is not normal.

"I don't know what the weather is like in your place. It's been raining here." The other party paused.His sigh was inaudible, "I'm used to rainy days...I'm tired of living."

There was silence in the receiver.

There was a despondency in the silence.The other party talking to the discarded receiver in such a late night is like losing his way in the sea and can only speak his last words to the conch.His melancholy is palpable, a bit of a struggle, as if talking like this would ease his loneliness.

"I opened my eyes in the morning and counted the raindrops on the glass. There is no difference between a hundred and 1. They all look exactly the same. Last week, a snail crawled under the glass," the other party's tone seemed to have seen the big raindrops. Like, "A real snail...so fucking weird."

uh-huh.

Shi Shanyan was a little sleepy, leaning against the tree trunk and facing the direction of the fox's eyes.He knows their schedules like the back of their hands, and in order not to be thrown off by them, he must hurry up and sleep.

"Being a human being is the most boring profession, deprived of the freedom to choose death. You don't believe it, I lingered in front of death for many days, they pulled my rope... The brain is the most troublesome place, I heard it controls reason, But I like to be emotional rather than rational. Maybe machines don’t have this need? Will you go crazy because of long hours of work? Don’t be angry, I’m just bored...I didn’t mean to hurt you..." The voice of the other party became more and more Low, "...I envy that snail, I hope it can climb faster."

"The rain outside the glass interferes with my thoughts, and I'm already in a state where I can't tell the truth from the fake. Today, or was it yesterday? I asked Artemis the same question, but I don't fucking remember it, is it Told me. I feel like my brain is spinning out of control and I hear them talking about recycling, and I'm running out of time. Today is the 690th day of practice, and my birthday is a week away. If I'm alive, you are My birthday present."

Raindrops fell and hit Shi Shanyan's hair.He half held the gun, listening to the murmur in his ear.Although the other party didn't know that anyone was listening, Shi Shanyan didn't want the other party to shut up.

"Goodbye," the other party remained calm, "Strange receiver, we will never meet again. Thank you for listening, I wish you and I can die freely."

Noise returned in the receiver, and the news broadcast resumed.

The gun in Shi Shanyan's arms was very hard, pressing against his chest, making him sure that it wasn't a dream just now.He shook the water droplets from his broken hair, looked up again, and found that the star had sunk in the cloud.

"Goodbye," Shi Shanyan said, "My inexplicable child."

***

The loud beating of the heart woke up Shi Shanyan.He moved his numb arms and opened his eyes in the harsh light.The lamp hanging above the operating table was shaking, making Shi Shanyan dizzy.

"—Explosion!" Pu Lin's voice came from the steps, suddenly far and near, "There is an explosion upstairs, Brother Yan! Wake up!"

The sharp sirens of the bee-shaped aircraft pierced Shi Shanyan's ears, which still had a sense of isolation, and they hit the upstairs window in groups, causing countless dust to be thrown up by the explosion.Shi Shanyan stood up and saw the bombed steps from his position.

Holding the gun with the scalpel, he walked over in a few steps and opened the shield: "Jump, jump, jump!" He grabbed Pu Lin by the collar and kicked him down, "I don't plan to go to jail yet!"