Flashes of muzzle fire burst forth, the sound of gunshots echoing ceaselessly in the shooting range.
Targets on the rails, moving swiftly, were successively struck by a spray of bullets, toppling one after another.
Fang Cheng stopped his equally rapid footsteps, his gaze calm, slowly releasing his index finger from the trigger.
When the gun smoke and echoes had dissipated, all hits on the target papers were tallied.
Within a minute, including the time spent reloading magazines, a total of 30 moving targets were hit.
Of those, 18 shots hit the bullseye, seven hit the 9-ring, four hit the 8-ring, and one hit the 7-ring.
At the same time, a panel appearing before his eyes was also providing information on experience growth.
Hitting the bullseye approximately yielded 3 points of experience, hitting the 9-ring one point of experience, with 8-ring and 7-ring hits yielding no experience.
In theory, a total of 61 points of experience were gained, subtracting any decay value that occasionally appeared after the progress bar was more than halfway filled.
[Gun Skill lv0 (52/100)]
"I wonder how much experience hitting a real person would yield?"
Fang Cheng silently recalled the sensation of the continuous shots fired earlier, reloaded the bullets, and waited for the next round of instructions.
Soon, the moving target area was again filled with continuous gunfire.
After the second round of live-fire target practice, the hit points were tallied once more.
This time, redoubled efforts led to a significant improvement in performance.
24 shots hit the bullseye, five hit the 9-ring, one hit the 8-ring, with no scores below the 8-ring.
As Fang Cheng listened to the score report coming through the headset, a flicker of light crossed his vision, along with several information bars appearing.
[Congratulations, through relentless effort, your Skill has reached Expert Level]
[Gun Skill lv1 (0/250)]
[Enhancement reward acquired, Skill Effect "Ghost Shooting"]
[Ghost Shooting, grants perfect integration of your sensory perception, body shape, footwork, and shooting gestures while moving at high speeds, making you as unpredictable as a ghost, able to quickly aim at targets from unbelievable angles]
Buoyed by the momentum, he leveled up as desired.
Looking at the enhancement reward obtained, Fang Cheng was excited to try another round of shooting practice to test the Skill Effect.
Suddenly, however, he remembered something of utmost importance and curbed his impulse.
Following the routine, he checked the chamber and magazine, disengaged the safety, and holstered the pistol.
Not to mention the praises heaped on him by his coach, who claimed he was a shooting prodigy the likes of which are rarely seen.
At this moment, Ma Donghe’s mouth hung open, his expression one of incredulity.
Fang Cheng raised a hand to remove the shooting glasses and headset, turning to look at him:
"Getting late, we’ll practice again next time."
The two approached the service desk to settle the bill.
30 yuan per bullet, a total of 66 bullets fired, amounting to 1980 yuan.
Adding in coaching fees, firearm rental fees, target paper costs, and other miscellaneous charges, the total came to a steep 3900 yuan.
Fang Cheng felt his fingers tremble as he took the cash out of his wallet.
Although he had anticipated the high cost of live-fire practice at this facility beforehand,
The impact of the actual payment still took him by surprise.
What he was shooting wasn’t bullets; it was money!
If he fired just a few more shots, he’d probably not be able to walk out the door tonight.
While paying, the service desk lady earnestly offered a discounted price for a monthly membership.
Fang Cheng shook his head repeatedly, decisively declining.
According to his own progress in firearm practice, a maximum of three to four more visits would elevate him to Master level.
As for what comes after, that would be a concern for the future.
Right now, he had yet to reach the point of being foolish with too much money.
After settling the bill, Fang Cheng did not immediately leave the premises.
There was one especially important matter that required scouting in advance!
Following Ma Donghe, the two then entered through a small, discreet security door on the left side of the service area.
Here lay a far more secretive shop, unknown to outsiders.
However, the goods displayed on the shelves were not beverages or food, but an array of firearms and ammunition.
Fang Cheng’s primary reason for choosing this underground shooting range for practice was right here.
He had heard from his uncle that those who operated illegal shooting ranges were, to varying degrees, involved in arms smuggling.
Of course, such business was not something ordinary merchants or gangs could dabble in no matter the country.
Without a protective umbrella, dreaming of long-term operations was pure folly.
This indicates the extent of the East City Association’s influence.
Fang Cheng took a general look at the merchandise on the shelves.
There were no heavy weapons, mainly light handguns and rifles.
There was a rich variety of styles, and they basically had all the popular models, with prices that were certainly astonishing.
Fang Cheng’s gaze swept across and finally settled on the items he needed.
7.62mm caliber bullets, priced at 50 yuan each.
Purchasing from outside costs almost double than using them on-site.
Fang Cheng took out his wallet and bought three magazines, totaling 30 rounds, and an additional compatible silencer.
Paying another 1800 yuan.
For this trip to the shooting range, he had almost spent the 6000 yuan in cash that he specifically withdrew today.
The balance in his bank card wasn’t much either.
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh internally:
"It seems like the next trip to the shooting range for training will have to wait until the 20th of next month when I get paid..."
He carefully concealed the purchased magazines in his shoulder bag.
Out of the corner of his eye, Fang Cheng suddenly caught a glimpse of something.
Special forces combat suits and tactical masks with a gray color, sleek design, somewhat exuding a light sci-fi style.
It was somewhat similar to what the black-clad man he had killed had been wearing.
When he saw the price, his eyes couldn’t help but focus.
Standing behind the counter, the burly salesman immediately pitched:
"This suit and mask were procured through special channels. The price is quite cheap, the only flaw is it doesn’t come with night vision goggles..."
Ma Donghe whispered a reminder in his ear:
"Don’t let him fool you. These are the castrated versions. The real deal wouldn’t be sold here. The bulletproof effect is mediocre, and without night vision goggles, it’s really just for show."
However, men tend to have little immunity to such cool-looking items.
He didn’t think much of it, his thoughts were focused on his own unique panel.
With the "Gun Skill" unlocked, 25 Skill slots were finally filled.
Next, he should try to elevate these Skills as much as possible.
Especially the four linguistic Skills.
Thinking of this, Fang Cheng suddenly remembered Lin Chuqiao’s mention of tomorrow’s lecture by the linguist.
While pondering, suddenly a faint "woooo, woooo" siren sound came from outside.
The faces of everyone present changed at once.
Ma Donghe raised his hands hurriedly, trying to clarify:
"It has nothing to do with us!"
The burly salesman gave him a glare:
"Wishful thinking. You don’t have the courage, nor the ability to trigger that. It’s the military’s air raid siren."
Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe suddenly became curious:
"Bro, tell us, what’s going on?"
The two seemed to have known each other for a long time and their relationship wasn’t bad.
"It’s the monsters that came out from West Mountain."
The burly man considered for a moment but still explained:
"But rest assured, the area is tightly sealed by the military, and those monsters are afraid of light. We’ve prepared more than a dozen large searchlights here, so there’s no fear..."
After revealing a bit of the news, he seemed to feel that he had been too talkative and fell silent again.
Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe had no choice but to leave the underground shooting range, came outside to assess the situation.
From the pitch-black mountains in the distance, one could discern faint flashes of fire and the sound of gunfire, faint as the popping of beans.
All of this, however, was drowned out by the piercing air raid siren.
The distance seemed quite far from here.
Ma Donghe withdrew his gaze, looking around.
Only to see the blond man hiding in the bushes not far away, seemingly also scared of being implicated by a certain person suspected as an undercover.
Ma Donghe glared at him, signaling him to hurry up and get the car.
Fang Cheng took a deep look at the mysterious depths of West Mountain, then immediately turned around and got into the car.
Although there was a desire to uncover the truth, he suppressed his curiosity.
It’s best to leave such troublesome places as soon as possible, as it’s none of his business.