Chapter 19: Shooting Talent

"D*mn! Is this for real?!"

Chen Wuling stood frozen, his mouth agape, as the scene changed before his eyes. A snow-covered landscape emerged, and in the distance, a ripjaw wolf appeared. This wolf was far more cunning than the last—its eyes darted suspiciously, scanning the surroundings for enemies, its movements far more erratic and unpredictable.

If the previous ripjaw wolf had been of the easy difficulty level, this one was at least of normal difficulty.

Bang!

A shot rang out from Tian Xiao's Desert Eagle.

Howl!

The ripjaw wolf's skull exploded in a burst of crimson.

Chen Wuling's body jolted as the shot echoed in his ears.

"Ten-ring!"

"Target change. Difficulty increased," the training ground announcer called out.

Chen Wuling was now utterly bewildered.

Who am I? Where am I? What the hell is going on?

This wasn't the first time he'd brought a newcomer to the training grounds, but this time was completely different—he felt completely unprepared and out of his depth.

The long-winded speeches and lessons he had painstakingly prepared were utterly useless as Tian Xiao effortlessly shot down another ripjaw wolf, sending dust flying across the desert as the creature tried to flee.

It dawned on Chen Wuling then: he had encountered an absolute monster with a natural talent for shooting.

Bang!

In difficulty mode, a few more ripjaw wolves appeared, each one trying deviously to avoid the incoming bullets, but none of them survived. One after another, Tian Xiao's steady aim put them down without fail.

The highest difficulty for ripjaw wolves was the hard mode, yet Tian Xiao cleared it effortlessly, the Desert Eagle's magazine still holding on to a few unspent rounds.

Chen Wuling didn't know what to say. Tian Xiao casually removed the magazine from the Desert Eagle, holstered the pistol, and pulled out an assault rifle, smoothly reloading it before assuming a perfect combat stance at the shooting window.

At that moment, Chen Wuling got a strange feeling, as though he were standing before a seasoned veteran.

The environment shifted once again.

The ripjaw wolves emerged.

Bang!

The first shot hit an eight-ring.

Bang!

The second shot landed a perfect ten-ring.

"Target change. Difficulty increased," the announcer chimed.

Chen Wuling's mind was beginning to numb.

Though he himself could score a kill shot every time with enough practice, it had taken him countless hours of training and coordination to develop his skill. Tian Xiao, on the other hand, took his first shot as a trial, and the second one dropped the target. It was as if he was born with the ability to take down any target in an instant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot was a quick succession, and with precise control, Tian Xiao completed the hard mode challenge, breezing past it in no time. Then he entered the Hell mode.

In Hell mode, the ripjaw wolves arrived in a pack, all charging from the woods.

Sixty seconds on the clock…

A powerful sense of impending danger filled the air. But Tian Xiao remained perfectly still, his posture immaculate, his focus unwavering. The moment the first ripjaw wolf came into view, his finger gently squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

The slight recoil was absorbed seamlessly, and in the next instant, he was pulling the trigger again.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The rhythm was flawless, the shell casings falling in a steady, almost musical cadence. Thirteen shots. Thirteen kills.

"One hundred thirty rings!" the announcer called.

"Hell mode cleared."

Chen Wuling stood there, completely stunned, his mind a blur.

With a simple assault rifle, Tian Xiao had become the epitome of precision and lethality. The accuracy he demonstrated with a sniper rifle or shotgun would likely be just as flawless.

"Kid, come on, confess. Have you handled firearms before? Did you do military service in school or something?" Chen Wuling couldn't sit still, his eyes scanning Tian Xiao from top to bottom, like he was looking at some kind of monster.

Tian Xiao, casually removing the magazine, responded with a smile, "You've seen my records. I've never served in the military. I just have a good eye."

"A talent for shooting? Holy crap!"

Chen Wuling was completely losing it.

This was a treasure for the security team.

"Tian Xiao, how about you try out the shotgun and sniper rifle next?" he asked, still trying to process the madness he'd just witnessed.

"Try? What for?" Tian Xiao replied, his tone nonchalant.

"You've cleared the Hell mode with an assault rifle already. There are only four people in the entire security team who can do that! Why would you need to practice with a shotgun and sniper rifle?" Chen Wuling said, sounding almost incredulous.

"Come on, let's go. I'm taking you to see Boss Luo."

His excitement was palpable.

Tian Xiao, meanwhile, had achieved his goal. He didn't care about wasting time in the shooting range anymore. With Chen Wuling's approval, it was time to move on to bigger things. He was one step closer to getting involved in real combat with the beasts and obtaining the second piece of a monster's pancreas.

As expected, when they met with Luo Fei, Chen Wuling eagerly shared the news of Tian Xiao's extraordinary shooting abilities. Luo Fei, though, kept his composure.

Good as Tian Xiao's shooting skills were, Luo Fei knew all too well that natural talent didn't always translate to perfect performance in real combat.

"Wuling, you take Tian Xiao to G33 District's forest for a run. Let him gain some field experience," Luo Fei instructed.

"Got it!" Chen Wuling replied, fired up.

But Tian Xiao wasn't done with his mission. He had promised Zhu Xiaotian to help her, and since he was with Luo Fei, he decided to bring it up now.

When Tian Xiao mentioned Zhu Xiaotian, both Luo Fei and Chen Wuling exchanged surprised glances.

"Zhu Xiaotian?" Luo Fei echoed.

"The girl from yesterday who almost got bullied by Gao Chong?"

"Yes, that's her. She sold her house, shaved her head, and donated her citizen chip. There's something special about her," Tian Xiao explained.

"Hmm, quite exceptional," Luo Fei and Chen Wuling both thought highly of her.

"Alright, I'll approve her joining the security team. But I just recommended you, Wuling. It wouldn't be appropriate to keep recommending people. Tian Xiao, you handle the recommendation this time," Luo Fei said.

Every security member had a recommendation quota, but the final approval rested with the team leader.

Tian Xiao smiled and agreed, "Alright, thanks, Boss Luo."

"Be careful when you go out. Try not to attract attention, and remind Old Lu to keep an eye on the monitoring center. We can't let Wu Hao get the upper hand," Luo Fei added, making sure to stress caution.

"I understand. I'll handle everything," Tian Xiao assured him.

After leaving the office, Luo Fei walked up to a large floor-to-ceiling window and gazed out, a smile creeping across his face.

"A talent for shooting?" Luo Fei murmured with a shake of his head.

"There's no such thing as pure shooting talent," he continued, his eyes narrowing as he reflected on Tian Xiao's true potential.

"No matter how good someone is at shooting, no matter how sharp their eye is, when dealing with ripjaw wolves in full speed, it's almost impossible to hit every time."

Luo Fei saw beyond the surface of things. Tian Xiao's true talent wasn't just in shooting; it lay in his ability to use his chip to enhance his physical abilities.

Just like yesterday, when Tian Xiao had swiftly improved his physical endurance during the weighted sprint, or like today, when he had effortlessly mastered shooting and made every bullet count.

"He's something else," Luo Fei thought, a hint of pride in his tone.

"Wu Hao," Luo Fei smirked, "You might be planning to take me down and push me out of the way, but you won't get your way. With Wuling's strength and now this chip-powered prodigy, a mere Zhao Jia won't be able to keep us down."