Target Practice

Xie Xu then fired off an entire magazine in quick succession, every bullet striking dead center, passing through the hole left by the previous shot.

The entire target bore only a single hole.

Tu Ran silently applauded him in her head.

Impressive.

The gap between people really was enormous.

She averted her gaze and resumed her own practice.

"Hold the gun firmly, aim steadily, and squeeze the trigger gently." Xie Xu's voice suddenly came from beside her.

Tu Ran glanced at him. Though she didn't understand why he was coaching her, she followed his instructions anyway.

She loaded a round, planted her body in a stable triangular stance, extended both arms straight, the web of her hand fitting the curve of the grip perfectly, locking the pistol firmly between her two hands.

She closed her left eye and aimed with her right, lining up the rear sight and front sight on the same plane—three points in a line—and completing her aim.

Her right index finger curled over the trigger, and she pressed down slowly and evenly.

In that process, a faint, nearly inaudible click sounded.

"Bang!"

The bullet left the barrel, and the recoil jolted her body, but the overall sway was minimal—negligible.

She looked up. Dead center of the bullseye.

Tu Ran: "?"

So what exactly had she done differently from before?

She'd been practicing the same way earlier.

Why had she hit it on the first try now, when she couldn't hit it at all before?

Now it looked like she couldn't do it without Xie Xu teaching her.

A hundred thoughts raced through Tu Ran's mind, but none of it showed on her face. She kept her arm raised, perfectly composed, ready to fire the next round.

"Stay focused. Too many thoughts in your head will affect your aim." Xie Xu said.

Tu Ran froze for a moment. How had this guy figured out she wasn't concentrating?

She turned to look at him; he was lining up his own shot at his target.

The empty shooting range echoed endlessly with the crack of gunfire.

Every single shot hit the bullseye.

Wasn't he the one telling her to focus? Then why could he shoot so accurately while talking to her?

And with his skill level, did he really need to practice here?

Tu Ran thought privately.

She turned back and continued her own shooting.

The twelve words he'd spoken echoed involuntarily in her mind.

"Bang... bang bang bang bang..."

Tu Ran took off her goggles and looked at the target.

Almost every shot had hit; only one had missed, but it had landed right next to the bullseye, less than a centimeter away.

Tu Ran sighed inwardly. Was this what having a good instructor did?

But if he was so good at coaching, why hadn't he coached the original body back then?

She set the pistol aside, pulled off her protective glasses, and looked at him thoughtfully.

Xie Xu continued shooting as if no one else was there, ignoring her.

After a moment's thought, Tu Ran turned and walked away.

Whatever he'd taught her was hers now.

No matter what his motives were.

Tu Ran didn't leave the training grounds. Instead, she moved to the area designated for sniper rifle practice.

Long-range sniping—the original body had never tried it, and she wanted to give it a shot.

Compared to the lightweight pistol, the sniper rifle was considerably heavier.

Using her ID badge, she checked out a sniper rifle, hoisted the ten-kilogram weapon onto her shoulder, and walked to the dedicated sniper lane. After setting the rifle up, she lay prone on the ground, adjusted her position, and took aim.

The pistol range earlier had been 25 meters; the sniper rifle range was 500 meters, with 800-meter and 1,200-meter options as well.

But Tu Ran had a clear understanding of her own abilities—500 meters was plenty for her.

From this distance, observing the target was like trying to spot an ant on the ground from a helicopter taking off.