He raised his rifle, utilizing the 5.5x optical zoom scope to track the sidecar motorcycle driving along the road. The road surface was uneven, causing the motorcycle to bounce, but Leitao’s hand remained steady as a rock. He glanced briefly at the weeds swaying in the wind nearby, and based on the amplitude and direction of their movement, he quickly and accurately gauged the windage.
"Target at 800 meters, speed 40 kilometers per hour, wind from the southwest at 4 meters per second." Leitao calculated rapidly, his brain working like a precision computer. He estimated the lead, silently counting down the distance in his mind: "700 meters, 600 meters, 500 meters..." He calculated the Japanese Army vehicle's speed and the changing distance, determining how many meters it covered per second and how long it would take to enter the optimal firing position. As the sidecar drew closer and crossed into the 400-meter effective lethal range of his VSS Vintorez Sniper Rifle, his gaze sharpened. He held his breath, his finger resting lightly on the trigger. The world fell silent, save for his own heartbeat and the roar of the engine.
Leitao pulled the trigger with instantaneous resolve. A 9x39mm subsonic armor-piercing round, guided by the four-groove rifling of the VSS Vintorez Sniper Rifle, shrieked outward like a bolt of lightning from death itself. The bullet pierced the air with a sharp whistle, flying toward the target. In flight, it maintained a perfect, stable trajectory as if…
Chapter 45