A Life-Saving Favor

Tu Ran was starting to have a newfound respect for those legendary snipers who could hit their targets from over two thousand meters away with pinpoint accuracy.

She thought of someone—Zhou Ming.

That guy who had whistled at her and Xi Chunzhi by the elevator, who had been kicked by Xi Chunzhi and still kept cursing under his breath.

He was apparently a sniper.

That big, burly guy was a sniper.

It just went to show—you can't judge a book by its cover.

With her shoulder pressed against the stock, Tu Ran recalled the sniper rifle safety tips she'd read in books.

Don't get too close to the scope, leave a gap. If you cover your eye completely, the recoil when firing can rupture the eyeball.

Tu Ran committed that to memory, keeping her eye about two centimeters from the scope.

Modern sniper scopes come with auxiliary targeting systems that automatically adjust the crosshair position, factoring in air pressure, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, and any other elements that might cause the bullet to drift.

With everything ready, she caught a figure approaching from the corner of her eye.

Tu Ran frowned. Why him again?

Forget it—just ignore him.

She focused her attention on the bull's-eye.

No fancy technique.

She just went with her gut and pulled the trigger.

The heavy recoil slammed into her cheek and shoulder, sending a sharp pain through her as if her bones were being torn apart.

Tu Ran sucked in a breath and shrank back like a turtle retreating into its shell, rubbing her shoulder in agony.

That hurt.

She hadn't expected the sniper rifle's recoil to be this brutal.

"How clumsy." A cold, taunting voice came from the side.

Tu Ran opened her eyes and saw Xie Xu looking down at her.

From her angle, his deep blue eyes seemed even darker and more profound.

He had such nice eyes, but such a venomous tongue.

Tu Ran pouted, wanting to retort, but she couldn't find the words.

Her earlier performance really hadn't looked too smart.

Ignoring him, she crawled back into position and adjusted her stance.

That first shot had missed the target, as expected—she had no idea where it ended up, but she didn't care and focused on preparing for the next one.

Drawing on her previous experience, she slowly adjusted the crosshair with the auxiliary targeting system.

"Don't let your breathing interfere with the bullet's trajectory," Xie Xu said.

Tu Ran immediately held her breath.

"Think of the sniper rifle as an extension of your body. Don't overthink the moment you pull the trigger. Forget it, reach a state where you and the rifle are one, and shoot naturally."

"Bang!"

A bullet shot out, and through the scope, Tu Ran watched it hit the dead center of the target.

Wow, did Xie Xu's advice really work that well?

Tu Ran swallowed hard.

Was she really this talented? She'd learned it that easily.

She was frozen in place.

After a moment, she realized Xie Xu was still standing there, and she glanced over at him.

He was leaning against the equipment rack nearby, staring at the distant target, seemingly unaware of her gaze.

Tu Ran looked away, paused for two seconds, then looked at him again.

Finally, she made up her mind and asked, "Why are you teaching me?"

They'd agreed to keep their distance from each other, hadn't they?

Xie Xu lowered his eyes to meet hers, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the equipment rack.

"Got time? I'd like to buy you a meal."

Tu Ran instinctively wanted to refuse, because she felt that whenever this guy asked her to eat, nothing good came of it.

Xie Xu saw right through her. "I saved your life once."