Sharpshooter

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Across the vast shooting range, the sharp cracks of rifle fire rang out one after another. Each recruit had a specially designed target, with an electronic screen above it displaying the score of every shot.

The recruits were new to firearms, and their scores were poor. Missing the target was common; five or six rings counted as good, and every so often a lucky recruit managed to score a bull's-eye.

When that happened, the score on the electronic screen changed from green to enlarged, bold red.

Raymond stood on the raised platform, surveying the range below. As far as he could see, it was a sea of green, with only a few scattered red dots that soon disappeared.

He wasn't surprised.

For a first attempt at shooting, simply hitting the target was a good start.

The clones were considerably stronger than ordinary people. Their hands held the rifles more steadily, and their minds were free of distractions. After three days of training, not every one of them would become a Sharpshooter, but at the very least, their aim wouldn't be too bad.

That would be good enough for taking down those hulking Green-skinned Orcs.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunfire continued to ring out across the range.

Just then, one target caught Raymond's attention.

Amid the sea of green, a red dot that had never once disappeared stood out starkly.

Ten rings, ten rings, ten rings...

The electronic screen displayed a score almost every second, but its color never changed. It stayed red, signaling a perfect ten.

"Oh, a recruit with a talent for shooting?"

Raymond immediately grew interested.

Cloning had been around for a long time, but mass-producing Clone Soldiers still came with many problems.

For instance, the memories implanted in them couldn't be too complex, or the clones' memories would become jumbled, making it difficult for them to follow orders.

Nor could the gene fragments introduced into them be too powerful, or their bodies would quickly collapse.

Because of these limitations, most clones were ordinary and mediocre. They couldn't carry out overly complicated missions and could only be raised as cannon fodder.

However, with such a vast population, some clones inevitably developed genetic mutations. They often possessed extraordinary talents, such as immense strength, incredible speed, or heightened senses.

Those clones would be selected for special training.

After watching for a while, Raymond quickly made his way toward the target.

Soon, he found the recruit.

At the firing line, a new recruit in a black uniform held his rifle level, rhythmically squeezing the trigger. The hand gripping the stock barely moved. His gaze was cold, like that of an unfeeling machine. Even when Raymond came up beside him, his eyes and expression didn't change in the slightest. It was as if he regarded Raymond as air.

Raymond wasn't offended. Clones were like that: they had no emotions and didn't try to curry favor with their superiors. In their minds, there was only one thing—to obey the Empire's orders and fight for the Empire.

Raymond glanced at the number on the recruit's right breast and spoke.

"Recruit 89757, stop for a moment."

Click.

Qin Tian fired his last shot, slowly lowered his rifle, then turned to face Raymond with an expressionless look.

"Bring your rifle and come with me," Raymond ordered.

A flicker passed through Qin Tian's eyes. He nodded, then followed Raymond, who soon led him to the adjacent range.

This range was small, and several soldiers were practicing there. When they saw Raymond, they immediately lowered their rifles, hurried over, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Sir!"

"Carry on," Raymond said with a nod, his expression stern.

"Yes, sir."

The soldiers answered in deep voices. Their gazes drifted past Raymond to Qin Tian, and they couldn't help feeling curious.

Going by that uniform, he must be a clone.

Why had Officer Raymond brought him here alone?

"Recruit, come over here."

Raymond led Qin Tian to an empty firing line and spoke.

"The targets ahead will move randomly. Do your best to hit their centers."

Qin Tian parted his lips and let out a dry, hoarse voice.

"Okay."

The test began.

A hundred meters away, six moving targets headed in different directions, abruptly changing course as they went. They weren't slow.

Qin Tian raised his rifle, took aim for one second, then decisively squeezed the trigger.

Bang!

A shot rang out, and one of the targets displayed its score.

Seven rings.

Hitting seven rings on a moving target over a hundred meters away was already impressive, especially since Qin Tian had never tried shooting at a moving target before.

Raymond nodded in approval.

But Qin Tian wasn't satisfied.

Absolute Gun Sense was a Green Talent, just like Advanced Strength and Rapid Recovery. It had enormous potential. Simply hitting a moving target wasn't worth celebrating.

He held himself to a higher standard.

Whoosh—

A breeze passed by.

Qin Tian narrowed his eyes. He couldn't calculate the bullet's trajectory, wind speed, or direction. When he fired, he relied entirely on instinct.

But the feeling was mysterious and impossible to put into words, like entering the zone in basketball.

Focused, powerful, confident.

Everything was under control.

Bang—

The shot rang out.

A huge red "10 Rings" immediately caught Raymond's attention.

Ten rings?

A perfect score on his second shot?

Raymond's eyes shifted. He'd trained many talented recruits, but the shooting ability of Recruit 89757 still left him exceptionally impressed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The shots rang out one after another, falling into a rhythmic cadence.

Ten rings, ten rings, ten rings...

Every shot scored a perfect ten. Only after hitting all six targets in the center did Qin Tian slowly lower his rifle and look calmly at Raymond.

"Good. Excellent."

Raymond's face showed his approval. "The difficulty is about to increase again. I hope you can keep up this outstanding performance."

With that, Raymond signaled to the control booth.

The next moment, more than twenty mechanical birds took off from a distant hillside, beating their wings as they circled above the range. They filled the sky like a dark cloud.

"Recruit, these are Agile Birds, designed specifically for shooting practice. They'll only fall if you hit them in the eye. Your task is to shoot them all down."

Raymond had set a task of nightmarish difficulty. The mechanical birds were tiny, and they flew high and fast. Hitting them in the eye would be no easy feat.

The soldiers nearby watched Raymond and Qin Tian discreetly. When they heard what Raymond expected, their eyes widened.

The Agile Birds were the most difficult shooting exercise in the entire army. Only a handful of legendary marksmen could complete it.

Why was Officer Raymond making a Clone Soldier fresh off the production line take on the Agile Birds? Wasn't that asking too much?

It was an impossible task.

Yet Qin Tian's expression remained unchanged. He silently raised his rifle, half-closed one eye, and kept his gaze fixed on the target through the scope.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

At a certain moment, Qin Tian suddenly fired.

Bang—

The first shot hit a bird's wing, making it wobble and lose speed.

Bang—

The second shot struck its left eye. A burst of electrical sparks erupted from the mechanical bird, and it quickly plunged to the ground.

"Just a little more."

Qin Tian held his breath, emptied his mind, and focused completely.

At that moment, the world fell utterly silent. Everything seemed to slow down.

Bang—

A gunshot rang out, an electric flash sparked, and a bird fell.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One shadow after another dropped from the sky.

The soldiers beside him stood with their mouths agape, too stunned to speak.

Raymond was just as shaken. He turned to look at Qin Tian.

His stern, chiseled profile, his unruffled gaze, and the powerful aura he gave off as he squeezed the trigger...

Raymond seemed to see the shadow of someone else in him: Huang Xun.

Huang Xun had been the best Sharpshooter in their regiment. Not long ago, he had volunteered to come fight on Alpha-7 Star.

His marksmanship was even better than what Qin Tian had just displayed—so much so that it could almost be called godlike.

Unfortunately, that very morning, this decorated Sharpshooter had been caught in the crossfire of a clash between Psionic Users. He had been killed.

It was undoubtedly a great loss for the Legion.

Raymond hadn't expected that just half a day later, another Sharpshooter would emerge from among the Clone Soldier recruits considered cannon fodder—and that his bearing would be so much like Huang Xun's.

It all seemed like fate.

Raymond raised his head. In a daze, he seemed to see that stubborn soul drifting through the air, smiling as he waved down at them, his lips moving as if to say—

"The Empire... is eternal."