About two seconds later, Mist saw a few tufts of dust kicked up on the concrete barrier beside Abu more than a kilometer away through the scope.
The dust and debris floated in the air like tiny smoke, especially noticeable in the sunlight.
Abu was clearly startled by the sudden attack. He instinctively tried to throw himself to the right to dodge the deadly bullets coming from behind.
Just as Mist thought Abu would dodge the attack with agile movements, and as Song Heping's bullets seemed to veer off course and miss the target, suddenly, a large spray of blood burst from Abu's body.
The blood burst like a blooming red flower, all the more striking against the bleak backdrop of the sky.
Right after, Abu disappeared from the scope, as if swallowed by darkness.
"OH! MY GOD!"
Mist turned away from the scope and looked at Song Heping, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He couldn't believe what he had seen, nor could he believe that Song Heping had managed to hit a target with an antiquated Desheka Heavy Machine Gun at such a distance.
Song Heping had thought he really missed, so he asked indifferently, "Missed? I tried my best, seems like our luck isn't great."
His tone lacked any hint of pride or excitement, as if all this had nothing to do with him.
Mist shook his head forcefully, exclaiming loudly, "No, you hit him! You damn well hit him!"
His tone was full of shock and admiration, immensely impressed by Song Heping's marksmanship.
Song Heping sighed in relief and went to the side, dragging a chair to sit down.
He didn't appear overly thrilled or excited by hitting the target, instead, he seemed very calm and composed.
"Good that I hit him."
He said lightly, as if it was all to be expected.
However, Mist couldn't remain as composed as Song Heping. He walked up to Song Heping, opened his hands wide and swung them vigorously in the air, making an emphatic gesture.
He excitedly said, "Song, aren't you astonished at all? You hit a person over sixteen hundred meters away with a heavy machine gun, and by visual aiming! It's like Hillary calling to ask me to go have a hotel rendezvous with her tomorrow, it's simply impossible!"
Song Heping smiled and replied, "That's not necessarily impossible. Her husband has had an affair; she might indeed call you in revenge."
His response made Mist burst out laughing, lightening the mood in the room considerably.
At that moment, Chris's voice suddenly came over the radio.
He shouted excitedly, "Boss, I hit him! I hit the sniper, the Mosul Reaper!"
Mist frowned, picking up the radio and asked, "Chris, what are you saying?"
His heart was full of confusion and incomprehension, having just witnessed the moment Song Heping hit the target.
"I said I hit the sniper, the Mosul Reaper!" Chris confirmed again.
"What?!" Mist instinctively glanced at Song Heping, searching his expression for answers.
However, Song Heping simply smiled lightly without any reaction, unaffected by Chris's belief that it was him and not Song Heping who had hit Abu.
"No, it wasn't you who hit him, it was Song. He took that guy down with the Desheka Heavy Machine Gun!" Mist declared determinedly.
He trusted what he had seen with his own eyes and believed in Song Heping's capabilities.
Yet, Chris could not accept this conclusion.
In his view, the Desheka Heavy Machine Guns used by the members of the Resistance Organization in Mosul didn't even have optical sights installed, which meant Song Heping had taken out a top-tier sniper over a thousand meters away with a mechanical sight.
Such a notion sounded like a complete fairy tale, like hearing a story from One Thousand and One Nights.
"I witnessed it with my own eyes!" Mist stressed: "I'm not blind, Chris!"
"No, boss, right before I found the enemy sniper's position, and he just appeared in my crosshairs. I immediately pulled the trigger, and I saw blood splash on him. I took down the Mosul Reaper!"
Chris was equally adamant about his judgment, describing everything he had done before in an attempt to prove his point.
However, Mist wasn't entirely convinced by his words.
He knew that on this battlefield, anything could happen, and it might indeed have been a coincidence.
The two ended their conversation.
Mist said apologetically to Song Heping, "Song, this might be a misunderstanding."
Song Heping had been listening to their conversation and showed no discontent or complaint. He understood that on the battlefield, misunderstandings and coincidences were common occurrences.
He too fell into thought, pondering over the turn of events.
Maybe it really was a coincidence! He had fired, alarming the Mosul Reaper, who, while trying to evade, accidentally exposed his position, and Chris had been lying in wait at a distance, potentially finding him by sheer chance.
This explanation seemed plausible.
"Whether it's a misunderstanding or not doesn't matter." Song Heping said nonchalantly: "Even if it's proven that I did it, are there rewards?"
His tone revealed his unconcern, as if such honors and rewards were not important to him.
Mist shook his head, "No rewards. But you really take it easy."
He was surprised at Song Heping's indifference and nonchalance.
Song Heping chuckled, "I'm a mercenary. If Chris took down the Mosul Reaper, he would receive commendations, maybe even an extra medal on his chest, right?"
There was a hint of sarcasm and resignation in his words, suggesting that the honors and rewards on this battleground of Illigo were all illusory.