He was so persuasive that he actually practiced extraordinary

"Stop!" Chu Yu suddenly interrupted.

Luo Xing suddenly looked up, glaring angrily: "What is it now?!"

Chu Yu shrugged, looking completely innocent: "I didn't ask you to count 1, 2, 3, 4. Those numbers from before don't count."

Luo Xing was so angry he almost vomited blood, but he suppressed his rage and said, "Then what do you want to report? Anything!"

“Alright, let’s find someone more cultured then.” Chu Yu grinned like a fox. “Let’s use the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to count. Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding… and so on, but we can’t repeat them.”

"Alright! Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches it is!" Although Luo Xing felt a little awkward, he was confident in his common sense and didn't think too much about the key points. At this moment, all he could think about was winning the bet and making Chu Yu apologize in person.

He took a deep breath and started again.

"A!" A push-up.

"B!" Another one.

"C!"

"Man!"

When he reported his name as "Ding", he paused subconsciously and glanced at Chu Yu.

Chu Yu remained calm and composed, arms crossed, a smile playing on his lips.

Hmph, you think you can stump me like this? Dream on!
Luo Xing sneered inwardly, his movements quickening and his voice growing louder, filled with an unwavering belief in victory.

"E!"

"Self!"

"Geng!"

"pungent!"

"the ninth of the ten Heavenly Stems!"

"Gui!"

Luo Xing recited all ten Heavenly Stems in one breath, with perfect fluency. He even gave Chu Yu a provocative look.

Chu Yu simply raised his chin slightly, signaling him to continue.

Without pausing, Luo Xing immediately connected with the Earthly Branches.

"son!"

"ugly!"

"Tiger!"

"卯!"

"Chen!"

"巳!"

"noon!"

"not yet!"

"state!"

"unitary!"

"戌!"

"Hai!"

After finishing the twenty-second push-up, the word "Hai" came out of his mouth.

Immediately afterward, he bent his arm again, preparing to push up to the twenty-third, and instinctively called out the next one—

However, the sound got stuck in his throat.

“Hai…Hai…”

His brain was working frantically, trying to find the next word after "亥".

But... what's below?
That's all!

There are ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches, making a total of twenty-two!
Finished!

Realizing this, Luo Xing felt as if all his strength had been drained away in an instant. He froze on the spot, unable to move even after supporting half of his body, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

The deck was silent.

Everyone understood.

This is a trap that was set long ago! A bet that can never be fulfilled!
When physical strength and energy are nearly exhausted, a person's thinking is easily trapped in a rut, and they will only think along the lines of inertia. How could they possibly count how many Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches there are, or whether there are enough to be twenty-five?
This is an extreme example of calculating both psychological and physiological weaknesses!
Luo Xing was completely deflated. His arms went limp, and with a "plop," he collapsed onto the scorching deck, burying his face in his arms, utterly ashamed and humiliated.

This strategy is really too long and too deep...

Looking at Luo Xing, who was lying on the ground completely demoralized, Chu Yu knew that his goal had been achieved, so he decided to stop while he was ahead.

He turned to Yang Rui, his tone returning to normal: "Captain Yang, we've been bothering you for so long. My team and I are getting a bit hungry. Would it be convenient for you to take us to the cafeteria now?"

Yang Rui finally snapped out of his daze after the "fierce" contest and quickly nodded, "Oh, okay, no problem! This way, please!"

As he passed by Luo Xing, he was both annoyed and amused, and gently nudged him with his toe.

"What are you still lying there for? Aren't you embarrassed enough? Get up now!"

Luo Xing struggled, barely managing to support himself with his almost exhausted arms, and stood up unsteadily. Staring at Chu Yu's retreating figure, he mustered his last strength and roared in defiance:
"Chu Yu! This isn't over! You wait! I'll defeat you fair and square on the battlefield with my sniper rifle! I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly!"

Chu Yu didn't turn around, but casually waved his hand behind him, his calm voice drifting on the sea breeze.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

The first night the red blood cells spent on the warship was peaceful and uneventful. The newly arrived team members slept soundly for once, until around 5:10 a.m., when a sudden alarm woke them up.

Within thirty seconds, everyone was dressed and ready. They quickly splashed water on their faces and, led by Zhang Beixing, hurried toward the main ship's command room.

When all the members of the red blood cell team arrived, Yang Rui, the captain of the Jiaolong Commando Team, was already standing in the command room. However, the other members of the Jiaolong Commando Team were not present, presumably on standby.

Captain Gao Yun of the escort fleet warmly welcomed the Red Cell team, his voice loud and sincere: "Welcome, comrades of Wolf Fang, to fight alongside our navy!"

In the command center, every soldier looked solemn and moved with hurried steps. Countless LCD screens flashed ever-changing images of the sea, and a sense of impending doom permeated the entire space.

Zhang Beixing remained calm and asked, "Commander, have you discovered any trace of pirates?"

Gao Yun nodded frankly, his tone solemn: "Not only that. About an hour ago, we received an urgent report: a merchant ship of our country named 'Guangdong' has been hijacked by pirates."

"They've been robbed?" Zhang Beixing frowned slightly. "It seems we underestimated these pirates. Our army laid a tight net, yet they still managed to find an opportunity."

Gao Yun sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness: "They are ubiquitous and difficult to completely guard against."

"We are not yet familiar enough with the maritime combat environment. Could you please provide an overview of the current situation, Captain Gao?"

"Of course." Gao Yun gestured for Yang Rui to step forward. "Captain Yang, please explain to the comrades who have come from afar."

"Yes!" Yang Rui quickly walked to a display screen, pointed to a picture of a merchant ship, and explained to Zhang Beixing in detail:
"This is a merchant ship returning from Palestine, sailing on the high seas, carrying a large amount of goods, with a total value estimated to be over thirty million. It is very likely that it was this cargo that attracted those wolves at sea."

"Around 4 a.m. this morning, more than ten pirates in five speedboats forcibly seized a merchant ship, resulting in the deaths of six police officers and three crew members. Fifteen hostages are currently being held." "The pirates intend to use these hostages as a shield to hijack the merchant ship and its cargo, cross the border, and return to Somali waters."

"Our mission is to rescue the hostages and regain control of the merchant ship!"

Yang Rui finished his report efficiently and concisely.

Zhang Beixing stared intently at the radar image on the large screen, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"At the current speed, the merchant ship will leave the Red Sea and enter Somali territorial waters in twenty minutes."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Yang Rui, his gaze sharp: "So, the Jiaolong Commando team members have already set sail?"

Yang Rui felt somewhat intimidated by Zhang Beixing's sharp gaze, and he nodded somewhat awkwardly: "Yes. They are expected to launch an attack in five minutes."

Although Yang Rui's answer was frank, Zhang Beixing still revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

He took a deep breath, turned to Gao Yun, his eyes resolute:

"Captain Gao, our Red Cell team is not here to be bystanders."

"I, Zhang Beixing, the captain of the Red Cell Special Operations Team, hereby formally request permission to participate in this operation!"

Seeing Zhang Beixing's resolute attitude, Gao Yun's eyes changed slightly, and he then smiled and explained:

"Captain Zhang, please don't misunderstand, we have no other intentions. It's just that the maritime combat environment is very different from that on land, and we originally hoped that everyone would take a short rest and adapt to the environment before participating in the mission."

"Moreover, in order to deal with this group of pirates, all the helicopter pilots on our three ships have been dispatched, and it is really impossible to spare personnel to take you to the merchant ship."

Zhang Beixing smiled calmly and asked, "There should be a spare helicopter on board, right?"

Gao Yun paused slightly, then slowly nodded: "There are indeed still some."

"That's good." Zhang Beixing said calmly. "With the war right before our eyes, no one in our Red Cell team can stand idly by. Please provide a helicopter and approve our participation in the operation."

"As for the pilots..." he paused, "we have our own methods!"

At this moment, Song Kaifei, who was standing nearby, quickly shouted at the top of his lungs, "It's a top-class pilot!"

Zhang Beixing smiled and nodded, confirming to Gao Yun: "That's right, top-level."

Gao Yun remained silent for a moment, then turned and exchanged a glance with Yang Rui, who nodded in agreement.

Yang Rui looked at Zhang Beixing and offered, "I'll go with you."

“Okay,” Zhang Beixing readily agreed.

Seeing this, Gao Yun took a deep breath and solemnly issued the order: "Alright, I approve your participation in the operation!"

……

Two minutes later, on the deck of the warship.

A standard armed helicopter roared to life, its rotors whistling as it slowly ascended into the air.

The helicopter continued to climb, the noise of its propellers deafening.

Zhang Beixing stood by the cabin door and shouted loudly to Li Erniu and Wang Yanbing, who were waiting for orders:

"Buffalo, Flamingo, you two go find a speedboat and be on standby, ready to give chase!"

"Understood!!" the two roared.

Zhang Beixing nodded, then turned to Song Kaifei and gave the following order:

"set off!"

The propellers suddenly accelerated, the helicopter lifted sharply, and with a clean tail swing, it swiftly rushed towards the distant sea.

As he approached the stern of the merchant ship, Yang Rui rappelled down to the deck and joined the Jiaolong Second Team, where he took over command of the operation.

At the same time, naval warships were rapidly approaching the merchant ship that had been hijacked by pirates.

"This is the Chinese Navy, please stop immediately!"

"This is the Chinese Navy. Please stop the ship immediately!"

Radio signals were transmitted rapidly between fleets.

Inside the command center, intelligence was constantly being updated:
"Report to the captain: Jiaolong Team 1 and Team 2 have successfully infiltrated the hostage holding area, and Jiaolong Team 3 has arrived at the engine room area and is looking for a way to stop the ship."

"In addition, the Red Cell Action Team has arrived over the merchant ship by helicopter and made aerial contact with Luo Xing."

Gao Yun immediately pressed for details: "What's the situation at position number one?"

"Report: There are three pirates in the cockpit, holding fifteen hostages."

"Position number two?"

"Report, target in the cafeteria has been identified, all cleared."

Just then, the radar monitoring officer suddenly exclaimed, "Report, Captain! The Guangdong has suddenly accelerated and is attempting to forcibly break through the border!"

Gao Yun asked anxiously, "How much time do we have left?"

"The Guangdong is continuing its journey at a speed of 23 knots. At this speed, it will enter Somali territorial waters in 15 minutes."

Political Commissar Zhang Shumin looked grave and reminded him, "Captain, we must not enter the territorial waters of other countries, otherwise it will inevitably trigger international disputes, and we must not cause trouble for the country."

Gao Yun nodded heavily: "I understand."

He immediately issued combat orders to the Jiaolong Commando Team:
"Attention all units, you have only ten minutes! You must end the battle within ten minutes! Command of the assault team is now entirely handed over to Yang Rui. Operation commence!"

Yang Rui relayed the tactical deployment via radio:
"To ensure the safety of the hostages, all attacks must be carried out simultaneously. Once Luo Xing's sniper fires at the pirate in the cockpit, launch a simultaneous assault on the left flank. Please reply upon receiving this!"

"Understood on the left," machine gunner Zhang Yingying replied.

Luo Xing immediately responded, "Received! Received!"

In an instant, a tense atmosphere that made everyone's hearts tighten suddenly enveloped the entire sea surface!

Over the Red Sea, a fierce sea wind howled and tore the drifting clouds to shreds. The gale lashed the aircraft, the noise so loud it hurt the eardrums.

The Jiaolong Commando Unit was busy preparing for its combat mission, while the Red Cell Team was equally determined. Inside the cabin of an armed helicopter soaring through the sky, Zhang Beixing handed an 85-type sniper rifle to He Chenguang.

“The target at sea is clear; I don’t need a spotter.” Zhang Beixing’s voice was calm and firm. “Falcon, there are three pirates in the cockpit, one of whom has already been locked onto by Luo Xing. We’ll each take care of one of the remaining two. You’ll fire first; are you confident?”

When a helicopter is completely hovering, it cannot simultaneously snipe two pirates in different positions, so it must adopt a strategy of firing one after the other.

He Chenguang was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Brother Beixing, I'm fine." He frowned slightly and added: "But the current at sea is very turbulent, with an average wind speed of about 50 knots. To avoid the airflow interfering with the bullet's trajectory, we must maintain a distance of 120 to 150 meters from the cockpit. The current speed is 23 knots, and the optimal firing window is at most three seconds. After I fire, are you confident that you can kill the other person?"

What? You're asking if you're confident? You probably haven't seen what it means to be 100% accurate!

Zhang Beixing gave him an incredibly determined look: "You just need to focus on your target, leave the rest to me. Don't you know my sniping skills? I never do anything I'm not sure I can handle!"

"Understood!" He Chenguang's eyes narrowed, and with a "click," the bullet was chambered.

Immediately, Zhang Beixing contacted Yang Rui via radio: "Captain Yang, please postpone the assault plan. Even if Luo Xing successfully kills one of the three pirates in the cockpit, the remaining two can still harm the hostage in less than a second. The risk is too great. Let our sniper positions deal with all the pirates."

The howling sea breeze could be heard constantly through the communication equipment. Yang Rui responded in a deep voice: "This is no child's play! Are you really sure you can win? Over."

Upon hearing Zhang Beixing's suggestion, Luo Xing also joined the communication channel. With a major battle looming, personal grudges were long forgotten. (End of Chapter)