According to the original plan, no matter who won or lost, all three rounds of the match had to be completed.
But Leonid had been "killed" twice in a row, both times without even understanding what was happening. He had no motivation to continue.
So he just stopped the fight.
It might hurt his pride, but he didn't think that continuing would make things better.
Ten minutes later, both sides had changed back into their regular clothes and gathered at the control tower.
Raymond, now back to his main personality, smiled and asked when he saw Leonid, "Dean Leonid, I should be allowed to teach the Comprehensive Combat Class now, right?"
"I already told you, if you can beat me, I'll give you the green light to do whatever you want. I keep my word," Leonid replied, waving his hand to show Raymond that he needn't worry.
While Raymond and Leonid were talking, the other three deans, including Weaver, had also gathered.
As soon as he saw Raymond, Vincent said in Chinese with admiration, "Raymond, you've really shown me what it means to look at someone with new eyes after just a few days apart!
Raymond quickly recognized the man speaking Chinese and the unknown middle-aged gentleman next to Weaver.
The Dean of the Communications Division and the Dean of the Spy Division...
Remembering their identities, Raymond also smiled and replied in Chinese, "Long time no see, Vincent."
"You remember? You disappeared for so long without saying a word. I thought you'd completely forgotten about this old friend," Vincent said with fake annoyance.
"Sorry about that. I thought about contacting you, but the place I went to wasn't exactly good for keeping in touch with the outside world," Raymond said, casually making up an excuse.
Though it wasn't a total lie—being in a mental hospital makes communication pretty difficult.
"Is that so... fine then. Since it wasn't on purpose, just buy me a drink and I'll forgive you," Vincent joked.
"No problem," Raymond agreed immediately.
The two were chatting happily when Claude suddenly interrupted: "Hey, some of us don't speak Chinese. Can you two be a little more polite?"
"Afraid no one will notice you or what?" Vincent rolled his eyes.
Vincent and Claude were familiar enough to joke around, but Raymond obviously wasn't that close to Claude, so he just smiled and greeted politely, "Good afternoon, Dean Claude."
"Dr. Raymond, you're here at last. Tell us, what exactly happened earlier? How did you hit Leonid?" Claude asked eagerly, skipping all the pleasantries.
It was obvious he was really curious—so much that he forgot about being polite.
And it wasn't just him. Vincent and Weaver were equally curious. Even Leonid, who had just been defeated, pricked up his ears when he heard the question.
"You really want to know?" Raymond looked around.
The Deans all nodded quickly.
He cleared his throat and then spoke in a mysterious tone:
"Have you ever heard of 'Gun Kata'?"
The group looked at each other, all clearly unfamiliar with the name.
"It's said that during World War II, there was a legendary marksman from China who killed over a thousand Japanese invaders all by himself," Raymond began in a serious tone. "What made him so powerful was a special shooting technique he developed..."
"He called it Gun Kata!"
"The most amazing thing about Gun Kata is that it can make bullets curve!"
"Curve?!" Claude and Leonid shouted at the same time.
Vincent and Weaver didn't react as loudly, but their shocked expressions showed that they found it just as hard to believe.
They'd actually suspected something when they'd watched the replay—at that angle, it should have been impossible for Raymond to hit Leonid unless the bullet had been curved.
But the idea was so absurd that they quickly dismissed it.
After all, if bullets could bend like that, wouldn't Newton be rolling in his grave?
But now Raymond said exactly what they had thought but dismissed as impossible...
"That's right—bullets that bend," Raymond continued calmly. "The moment the bullet leaves the gun, a quick flick of the wrist can cause it to bend in mid-air. That's the real secret of the Gun Kata!"
"I disappeared for so long because I went to China to learn this legendary technique from a master. I only returned to North America after I mastered it."
Claude and Leonid's eyes lit up.
Both had once been top field agents for S.H.I.E.L.D., which meant they were experts in combat. So hearing about such an incredible shooting skill naturally got them excited.
Leonid, in particular, was already wondering if there might be a chance to learn some of it from Raymond—maybe he could pick up a little too?
But at that moment, Weaver spoke up hesitantly, "Adding spin to a moving object can cause its trajectory to change. This is seen in many sports and is a result of the 'Bernoulli Principle'..."
"But bullets move so fast. How could a flick of the wrist change their path? It doesn't make any sense."
"Agent Weaver, you're overthinking this," Claude interrupted before Raymond could respond. "The truth is right in front of you and you'd rather believe some theory? Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'If it exists, it must be possible'?"
Claude had completely turned into a believer in Gun Kata and wasn't shy about defending it.
Leonid, who had just lost to Raymond, was even more fired up. "How can some crappy theory explain Gun Kata? There are tons of things in this world that science can't explain. We have seen them with our own eyes, haven't we?"
Hearing that, even Weaver began to doubt himself a little.
For what Leonid said wasn't entirely wrong—they were all high-ranking agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and they had seen a lot of things from the supernatural world.
There really are a lot of events out there that science still can't explain. That much is true.
Join .com/AHumanMadeMOFO to read till chapter 84 (44 Chapters ahead).