Bullets That Turn

In a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of Big Apple City.

This was Cross's secret base, which he had converted into a rudimentary shooting range.

It was here that Hao Shuai received Cross's tutelage, practicing his firearm skills and the physics-defying Art of the Ricocheting Bullet!

"Hao, before you practice ricocheting, the first thing you need to do is understand guns, familiarize yourself with all sorts of firearms. Whether it's rifles, pistols, machine guns, shotguns, submachine guns, grenade launchers, etc., you need to be familiar with their parts, capable of rapid disassembly and assembly."

Cross pointed to a table in front of him and said, "On this table are the parts of a hundred different firearms. Your mission is to assemble them back to their original state within the allotted time!"

Hao Shuai glanced down at the table, at the dense array of firearm parts, and a giant '#' immediately appeared on his forehead.

This is trying to make things difficult for me!

If he didn't know Cross's character, Hao Shuai would have thought Cross was deliberately messing with him.

For the next week, Hao Shuai began the endless work of assembling and disassembling guns, day and night.

Fortunately, Hao Shuai's memory had improved, and combined with his National Martial Arts training, he was fast and had a strong grasp of minute details, allowing him to complete the task within a week.

While learning to assemble firearms, Hao Shuai also discovered a method to enhance the fine control of his Psychic Power: assembling guns simultaneously with his Psychic Power. At first, he could only control the assembly of one gun, but with practice, he gradually progressed to controlling two, then three...

By the time Cross came to find Hao Shuai again, Hao Shuai could already assemble five guns simultaneously using his Psychic Power.

After Hao Shuai completed the gun assembly task, Cross brought over a trunk full of bullets and told Hao Shuai to shoot them all within a specified time, calling it "cultivating gun sense."

So Hao Shuai embarked on another period of shooting day and night, his arms feeling numb and his ears ringing every day.

This was because Cross wouldn't let him wear ear protection!

It was a good thing his National Martial Arts had already reached the Hua Jin realm; otherwise, he probably would have been too exhausted to even lift his arm after the first day of shooting.

Later, to slack off, Hao Shuai remembered the mutant Magneto from X-Men, who could control a dozen guns to fire simultaneously. So Hao Shuai began to practice controlling several guns to fire at once with his Psychic Power. By the time the bullets ran out, Hao Shuai felt that on the battlefield, he could provide the firepower of an entire platoon. Although the death-averse Hao Shuai might not fight on a modern battlefield.

After a week of shooting at stationary targets, Cross then had Hao Shuai start shooting at moving targets. The number of targets started with one, then two, then three... finally increasing to a hundred.

When he first started shooting at moving targets, Hao Shuai had considered using his Psychic Power, but after trying a few times, he decisively gave up because his eyes simply couldn't keep up.

A month and a half later, when Hao Shuai could hit the bullseye of a hundred targets with tricky positions, moving at extreme speeds, and in unpredictable patterns, Cross clapped his hands and said, "Hao, you can start practicing the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet now!"

"Really?" After working so hard, he was finally going to learn this show-off skill.

"The Art of the Ricocheting Bullet is a shooting realm and a form of comprehension. You need to try to understand the gun in your hand one hundred percent, then think about how the bullet will hit the target, how it will bypass obstacles! This realm cannot be described to you; you need to comprehend it yourself!" Cross said.

Hao Shuai held the gun and looked at the obstacle in front of him. He tried it once, but several shots in a row hit the obstacle, failing to ricochet the bullet around the obstacle to hit the bullseye!

Hao Shuai recalled the plot of the movie, how Wesley learned the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet. It seemed like Fox stood in front of the target, acting as an obstacle, staking her life as a bet. Under immense pressure, Wesley finally succeeded in learning the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet.

What if I tie Cross up in front as an obstacle and try?

Hao Shuai looked at Cross with malicious intent.

Seeing the deep malice in Hao Shuai's eyes, Cross felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said, "How to put it, that feeling is very mystical, only to be understood and not explained in words. In short, it's a power that breaks through conventional restraints, requiring mental guidance. That moment you believe you can hit it, then when you fire, your mind guides the bullet to curve around the obstacle and hit the target. You still need to experience it yourself!"

After speaking, Cross quickly left, afraid of being called upon to be an obstacle.

Seeing Cross flee, Hao Shuai had to research it alone.

He remembered a Chinese anti-Japanese war drama online, where the most impressive part was a KMT instructor explaining to his subordinates the principle of making bullets curve. It was that the shooter, at the very instant the bullet left the barrel, rapidly flicked their wrist, giving the bullet horizontal acceleration, thus forming an arc. This was Gun Fu.

At the time, this explanation was wildly mocked online, with people saying the editor had no brain, and it became a popular internet meme.

However, that was in the real world. In Assassin's Alliance, many people could indeed make bullets curve.

So, what that instructor said should be reasonable. To ricochet a bullet, the wrist must be able to flick rapidly, which requires strong physical fitness. This is why in the movie, Wesley and the others could only ricochet bullets when they entered the Blood Burn State.

With Hao Shuai's current Hua Jin realm cultivation, he could easily control his wrist's flick. Thus, Hao Shuai practiced like this all night.

The next day, when Cross brought food, Hao Shuai explained his research.

After hearing Hao Shuai's research, Cross was stunned.

He looked at Hao Shuai as if he were a monster and said, "Hao, you truly are a genius! Your comprehension ability is the strongest I've ever seen! The Art of the Ricocheting Bullet has been passed down through the Syndicate for generations, but those who taught it could never articulate its essence, only vaguely imparting fragmented techniques of ricocheting. Yet, you have managed to analyze it so thoroughly, concluding that the key to ricocheting lies in the 'flick,' in the gathering of momentum before firing."

Seeing that even Cross agreed with his theory, Hao Shuai practiced even more diligently.

Finally, after three days, he could make bullets bypass obstacles. Although his accuracy was still poor, it was at least progress.

Cross, upon learning that Hao Shuai could make bullets curve in just three days, became somewhat depressed. He kept muttering "monster" to himself.

Bang!

Hao Shuai flicked his wrist sharply. With a "boom," the bullet drew an elegant arc, skillfully bypassing the obstacle in front, and then flew towards the target behind.

Pat!

The bullet hit the bullseye.

Cross, standing nearby, was stunned.

Cross knew Hao Shuai was monstrous, but he never imagined he would be monstrous to this extent. He had only been learning the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet for a week and had already mastered it.

In fact, Cross didn't know that Hao Shuai already possessed the basic requirements for mastering the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet: powerful mental strength and a robust physique, which was why he learned it so quickly.

"You have accuracy now. What you need to practice next is to refine the 'flick' to its extreme, making it as skilled and proficient as using ordinary firearms, achieving mastery through practice."

After speaking, the Cross patted Hao Shuai's shoulder and left the training ground.

Hao Shuai's subsequent practice was tedious, repetitive training. The Cross couldn't help much beyond providing bullets. Rather than stay here and be beaten by a freak, he might as well go out and kill some Syndicate members.

That's right, besides going out for drinks, fun, and women every now and then, the Cross also kept a close eye on the Syndicate. As soon as he discovered Syndicate members going out on missions, he would immediately follow and then find an opportunity to take them out with a single shot.

Over two months, the Cross had eliminated at least seven or eight Syndicate experts. This nearly gave the big boss, Sloan, a heart attack and caused him to recall all his assassins abroad, preparing for a decisive battle with the Cross.

This was exactly what the Cross wanted to see. Because Hao Shuai had promised him that once the Syndicate's assassins were gathered together, Hao Shuai would lead the Cross to raid the Syndicate headquarters and capture them all, leaving no one to escape.

Just as Hao Shuai finished practicing the Art of the Ricocheting Bullet and began practicing long-range sniping, the Cross arrived at the warehouse and said, "In a few days, the Syndicate will hold a meeting, and all the assassins will come to headquarters. That will be our chance."

Hao Shuai stopped practicing and looked at the Cross, saying, "Go prepare the headquarters map and information on the assassins. We'll leave in a few days."