Chapter 77: Teacher Summer

"H-Hello..." Julie greeted in a quiet voice, clearly embarrassed by all the attention.

Before anyone could leave a nasty comment, Summer narrowed her eyes at the nearest camera. "Be kind to her."

[WHY DID THAT SOUND LIKE A THREAT?!]

[Summer really said, "Behave or else."]

[Understood, ma’am. I will be kind.]

[Julie is so cute tho.]

[Wait, isn’t she only D-Rank?]

[So what? Summer literally just told you to be nice.]

[No, I’m just asking! I remember seeing her during the Zone 41 stream.]

[Yeah, she was one of the students trapped there.]

[She looks completely different when she isn’t running for her life.]

[Julie, blink twice if Saddie forced you into this livestream!]

"Okay, lesson number one is that you shouldn’t focus too much on the comment section, or you might stop paying attention to your surroundings," Saddie said.

She closed the comment section and started walking forward.

[Saddie, HOW DARE YOU?!]

[Open it again!]

[We were just getting started!]

[This is censorship!]

[Julie, remember us!]

Julie stared at the floating screen for a few seconds before quickly following them.

Summer glanced at her. "She’s right, though. The comments can distract you."

Julie nodded seriously. "I understand."

Saddie pointed ahead. "Good. In a polluted zone, even an E-Rank one, you should never assume that nothing dangerous will happen just because the monsters are weaker."

Julie immediately straightened her back.

The area around them looked far less frightening than Zone 41. The trees were thinner, the ground was mostly flat, and there were even several marked paths left behind by other teams.

Still, since this was breeding season, the number of polluted creatures in the area was much higher than usual.

"What’s the first thing you should look for when entering a polluted zone?" Saddie suddenly asked Julie.

Julie became nervous after being put on the spot, but she still tried to answer.

"In theory, we’re supposed to check the environment first," she said carefully. "We should look for traces of polluted creatures, damaged plants, footprints, blood, nests, and anything that looks unusual. We also need to pay attention to the wind direction and possible escape routes."

BANG!

Summer suddenly raised her poison gun and fired into the tree above them.

A cricket the size of a lion dropped from the branches. It twisted and screamed on the ground for a few seconds before its flesh slowly began to melt, as if it had been dropped into lava.

[You killed ×1 E-Rank Mutated Creature: 3,000 Credits]

"Dead," Saddie said calmly as she looked at Julie. "That’s what’ll happen to you if you spend too long staring at footprints instead of reaching for your weapon."

Julie flinched and quickly pulled the plasma gun from the holster at her waist.

Her hands were still shaking a little, but at least she was holding the weapon properly now.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Julie stammered. "I’ll keep my weapon in my hand from now on!"

Summer glanced at the gun in her hands. "How far can you hit a target?"

Julie blinked at the sudden question. "I’m not really sure..." She thought about it for a moment before adding, "But I always got an A in shooting class."

Summer nodded slowly, then a small smile appeared on her face. "Want to test it?"

Julie looked at her with a bit of hesitation, but in the end, she still nodded. "Sure."

They made their way to a five-story building and climbed all the way to the rooftop.

Once they reached the top, Summer adjusted the recoil compensator on her rifle to 98% before handing it to Julie.

"See that red hare?" Summer asked.

Julie narrowed her eyes and followed Summer’s gaze.

A few hundred meters away, a red hare taller than a kangaroo was hopping between the broken remains of several buildings.

"I see it," Julie said.

"Good. Aim for the head."

Julie stiffened. "From here?"

Summer glanced at her. "You said you got an A in shooting class." She added, "Besides, this rifle has a good scope."

Julie took the rifle from Summer’s hands and was immediately surprised by how much heavier it felt compared to her regular plasma gun.

"Hold it like this." Summer stepped closer and adjusted Julie’s grip on the rifle.

She guided Julie’s left hand farther forward under the barrel, then gently moved her right hand into a better position around the grip.

"Don’t squeeze it too hard," Summer said. "You need to control the rifle, not fight with it."

Julie nodded quickly. Summer then placed one hand on Julie’s shoulder and helped her lower her body slightly.

"Lean forward a little. If you stand too straight, the recoil will push you back," she said.

Julie followed her instructions and shifted her weight forward. "Like this?"

"Better." Summer moved behind her and adjusted the rifle against Julie’s shoulder. "Keep it firm here. If you leave space, the rifle will hit you harder when you fire."

Julie swallowed nervously. "That sounds painful."

"It is."

Julie immediately pressed the stock more firmly against her shoulder.

Summer pointed toward the scope. "Now look through it."

Julie lowered her face and placed her eye near the scope. For a few seconds, she moved the rifle around awkwardly. "The hare is moving to fast."

"Then don’t follow where it is," Summer said. "Aim where you think it’s going to be."

Julie frowned. "Ahead of it?"

"Exactly." Summer crouched beside her and pointed toward the direction the hare was moving. "Watch its pattern first. Don’t rush."

Julie stayed quiet and focused through the scope.

The red hare jumped over a broken wall, landed near an old streetlight, then suddenly changed direction.

Julie moved the rifle too late. "I lost it."

"You’ll find it again," Summer said calmly. "Go back to the last place you saw it."

Julie slowly moved the scope back. "There."

[Why does Summer actually look like a real instructor right now?]

[Because she is scary enough to become one.]

[Julie, don’t disappoint Teacher Summer!]

[No pressure, Julie. Only thousands of people are watching you.]

[That is literally pressure.]