At 8:30 AM, Zhang Jie was already standing on the training ground, holding a modified glock 34 in each hand, his eyes fixed on six moving targets fifty yards away.
Five months ago, he trembled like a Parkinson's patient even holding a Pistol with one hand, but now he could steadily control the recoil of two guns simultaneously.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Six gunshots almost merged into one.
John watched Zhang Jie's back with a dazed look in his eyes.
When the target paper was pulled back, four bullseyes were completely pierced, one bullseye was a 9-ring, and one target was an 8-ring.
He subconsciously looked at the numbers in the lower right corner of his vision:
[Dual-Wield Shooting: Lv2 (75 → 76 / 100)]
"Very good, you've improved again."
John's voice came from behind him.
He had mostly recovered, but to be safe, he still used a cane to walk, trying to avoid strenuous activity with his right leg.
He stared at Zhang Jie's target paper, his brows furrowed: "I've trained many assassins, and with the exception of one person, no one has been able to achieve these results with two guns at this distance after only five months of training. You are far more outstanding than them."
Zhang Jie grinned, casually performing a fancy gun holstering move. He had practiced this move for two full weeks, breaking three training guns before mastering it.
[Fancy Technique: Lv1 (65 → 66 / 100)]
"Want to try a new toy?"
John pointed to a gun rack in the corner, covered with a black cloth.
Zhang Jie lifted the black cloth and gasped.
It was a custom-made Accuracy International AXMC sniper rifle, entirely matte black, with the initials "JW" engraved on the scope.
Accuracy International, truly cool.
"This... this is..."
"My prized possession." John walked over, leaning on his cane, "Today I'll teach you long-range Shooting."
The next eight hours were hellish.
From breath control to wind speed calculation, from bullet drop to Coriolis effect correction, Zhang Jie's brain felt like it had been crammed with an entire physics textbook.
Half an hour later, when his seventh shot successfully hit the head of a human-shaped target at 800 yards, the numbers in his vision flickered again:
[Long-Range Sniping: Lv1 (25 → 30 / 100)]
[Environmental Calculation: Lv1 (20 → 22 / 100)]
"Shit!"
John looked at the target through binoculars, uncharacteristically swearing, "It took me 2 months to reach this level back then."
Zhang Jie wiped the sweat from his forehead and didn't tell John that he had actually controlled his heart rate to 52 beats per minute by adjusting his breathing rhythm on the third shot, a small trick he learned as a Shooting game enthusiast in his previous life.
Coupled with the visualization of proficiency, everything became much simpler.
His shoulder really hurt, though!
It felt like it was about to dislocate!
[Pain Tolerance: Lv1 (55 → 62 / 100)]
The evening combat training was even more intense.
Three months ago, John had hired a former Russian special forces instructor, a two-meter-tall strongman who almost broke three of Zhang Jie's ribs on the first day.
"Weak!" the Russian roared in heavily accented English, "You punch like a sissy!"
Three months later, today, Zhang Jie could already last five minutes against the giant.
When he took down the instructor with a perfect sweep kick, the numbers in his vision made him laugh out loud:
[Combat: Lv2 (59 → 75 / 100)]
[Joint Locks: Lv1 (63 → 70 / 100)]
[Pain Tolerance: Lv1 (62 → 80 / 100)]
"What are you laughing at?"
The Russian instructor rubbed his ankle, glaring.
"Nothing," Zhang Jie quickly suppressed his smile, "Just remembered something happy."
Returning to the villa in the evening, Zhang Jie collapsed into the massage chair, letting the mechanical arms knead his sore muscles.
Daisy ran around playfully nearby, occasionally rubbing against Zhang Jie's calf.
He habitually organized his progress during this period in his mind:
Pistol Series:
glock Series: 78
1911 Series: 76
Revolver: 72
[Pistol: Lv2 (75 / 100)]
Rifle Series:
AR-15 Platform: 77
AK Series: 75
Sniper Rifle: 75
Shotgun: 76
[Rifle: Lv2 (71 / 100)]
[Shooting: Lv2 (30 / 100)]
[Long-Range Sniping: Lv1 (30 / 100)]
Other Weapons:
Dagger/Short Knife: 77
Unarmed Combat: 75
[Combat: Lv2 (75 / 100)]
Auxiliary Skills:
[Firearm Disassembly/Assembly: Lv2 (75 / 100)]
[Tactical Movement: Lv1 (65 / 100)]
[Map: Lv1 (72 / 100)]
[Environmental Calculation: Lv1 (22 / 100)]
Five months ago, he was a rookie who couldn't even load a magazine properly, missing the target seven out of ten shots.
During his first simulated hostage rescue training, he accidentally "killed" all the hostages, including the inflatable doll playing a hostage.
Zhang Jie would never forget John's expression at that time.
"What are you grinning about?"
John's voice pulled Zhang Jie back to reality.
He walked over, holding two glasses of whiskey, no longer needing his cane for his right leg.
"Nothing," Zhang Jie took the glass, "Just remembered the first training session when I used a tactical flashlight as a selfie light."
John's mouth twitched: "That wasn't even the worst."
"Worse than throwing tear gas into your own team, thinking it was a smoke bomb?"
"Worse than biting into simulated C4, thinking it was a chocolate bar?"
The two looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter simultaneously.
This was the first time in five months Zhang Jie had seen John laugh so happily.
"Seriously," John took a sip of his drink, "Your rate of progress... it's not normal."
Zhang Jie's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"
"I've seen geniuses," John stared at his glass, "But no one goes from rookie to expert in three months. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you were faking it all along." John's sharp gaze met Zhang Jie's, "Just like your persona of a down-and-out unlucky guy."
Zhang Jie's Adam's apple bobbed.
He couldn't tell John about the proficiency panel, but he had to give a reasonable explanation.
"I..." He thought quickly, "I worked at a Shooting club when I was a kid."
"What kind of club teaches dual-wield Shooting?"
"Uh... do video games count?"
John narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing the explanation.
But he seemed to remember something, and in the end, he just sighed: "Combat training starts tomorrow."
"Combat?" Zhang Jie almost choked on his drink, "What kind of combat?"
"A small mission." John put down his glass, "Go pick up a package."
"That simple?"
"That simple." John stood up, "If you come back alive, you'll have graduated."
Zhang Jie watched John's retreating figure, suddenly realizing that these five months might have been the most fulfilling time of his life.
Having a master like John to teach him, and a dog named Daisy to keep him company.
From a down-and-out unlucky guy to whatever he was now, at least he was no longer a lamb to be slaughtered.
He looked at the numbers in his vision again.
75 points, by his own standards, this was already "normal" level.
But John was right, the real test was just beginning.
The night rain in the Brooklyn industrial district had just stopped, and the damp air was filled with the smell of rust and decay.
Zhang Jie stood at the alley entrance, his right index finger unconsciously tapping the glock 19 in his underarm holster.
The grip of this Pistol was already slightly sticky from his hand sweat, but five months of training made this sensation actually reassuring.
"Red brick warehouse back alley, person in a yellow raincoat..."
He repeated John's instructions softly, while scanning the surroundings with his peripheral vision.
There was an overturned trash can three meters to his left, the shadow of the fire escape to his right was large enough to hide two people, and the street light fifteen meters ahead flickered on and off. Every detail was automatically marked as a potential threat point in his mind.