Early the next morning
Qin Tian's door was knocked on.
"Hello, are you Qin Tian?"
A young soldier in uniform stood at Qin Tian's door, holding a rectangular box and wearing a polite expression.
"I am."
Qin Tian nodded, his eyes falling on the box with a glimmer of anticipation.
"Could you please show me your ID?"
The young soldier took out a black device and scanned Qin Tian's ID. Once the verification was successful, he handed the box to Qin Tian.
"Thank you," Qin Tian said.
The young soldier smiled, saluted Qin Tian, and left.
Creak~~
The door next door opened, and Xiao Yunlong came rushing out with his hair sticking up in every direction. He stood in front of Qin Tian, looking excited.
"Come on, come on, let me see what the Rune Gun looks like!"
"Come inside and take a look."
Qin Tian set the box flat on the table and activated the switch with facial recognition.
Click~~
The latches sprang open, and the lid flipped to the side.
A sleek, pitch-black Sniper Rifle appeared before them.
The rifle was nearly two meters long, its streamlined shape resembling a black python poised to strike. Its lines were simple yet powerful, every curve perfectly placed to showcase its exquisite craftsmanship and design. A layer of fine matte-black paint covered its surface, reflecting not the slightest glimmer of light.
Faint patterns could be seen along the rifle's body, twisting and winding like ancient runes.
This was Hidden Kill, the Rune Sniper Rifle Qin Tian had redeemed for 2,600 Military Merit Points.
So cool~
Qin Tian's eyes lit up. The real thing was even more captivating than the pictures and videos online.
He reached out with both hands and slowly lifted Hidden Kill.
This Rune Gun weighed at least five times as much as the Dragon Falcon Rifle. An ordinary soldier couldn't even lift it. One could imagine how tremendous the recoil would be when it fired.
"Wow, that's awesome."
Xiao Yunlong rubbed his hands together. "Qin Tian, can I touch it?"
"Of course. You can even fire a couple of shots later," Qin Tian said with a nod.
"Haha, that's why you're my best buddy."
Xiao Yunlong grinned from ear to ear. He was a Psionic User and a military enthusiast, with extensive knowledge of all kinds of weapons and equipment, including firearms, mecha, and aircraft. But this was his first time seeing a rune weapon.
Xiao Yunlong gently ran his hand along the rifle, his eyes full of admiration and curiosity. This was a Rune Sniper Rifle! He could hardly imagine how terrifyingly powerful its bullets would be.
"Qin Tian, how about we head to the shooting range and try it out?" Xiao Yunlong could barely contain his impatience.
"Don't rush. Let's wait for the other two to get up first."
Qin Tian set Hidden Kill on the table, then took another metal box out of the case.
Inside the metal box, 125 specialized bullets were neatly arranged in rows. Each bullet was longer than an adult's hand, and they were just as pitch-black as the rifle.
Qin Tian loaded the bullets into a magazine. Each magazine held five bullets.
"I'll go get them."
Xiao Yunlong dashed next door and knocked on Qin Dadi's door. He also sent Liu Zhaozhao a message, telling her to hurry up and wash, so they could all go to the shooting range and test-fire the rifle.
Before long, Qin Dadi entered Qin Tian's room. The moment he saw Hidden Kill, his eyes lit up too.
"Qin Tian, how about trying a closer target first?"
At the shooting range, Xiao Yunlong, Qin Dadi, and Liu Zhaozhao stood behind Qin Tian, looking at the target nearly three kilometers away, so distant it was almost invisible. A thought came to all of them.
Could anyone really hit a target from that far away?
"I'll give it a try first and get a feel for it."
Qin Tian lay on the ground in the standard prone firing position, his legs slightly spread to provide a stable base for his body.
His arms, like steel supports, held the Rune Sniper Rifle steady. His cheek pressed firmly against the stock, and through the extreme-range scope, he could see the target several kilometers away.
This was his first time attempting a range of over 3,000 meters.
But 3,000 meters was still less than half of Hidden Kill's maximum range.
"One bullet costs one Military Merit Point. Don't waste them," Xiao Yunlong reminded him.
"Mm."
Qin Tian focused his thoughts until all he could see was the target in his scope. A trace of Psionic Energy flowed from his palm into Hidden Kill, and the patterns on both sides of the rifle glowed with an even deeper black light.
His finger pulled the trigger.
The bullet shot from the muzzle, and the tremendous recoil jolted Qin Tian's shoulder.
The next instant, the distant target exploded with a bang, its fragments scattering across the ground. More astonishingly, the entire process had made not the slightest sound of gunfire.
That was the effect of the concealment rune.
The bullet had flown out without a sound.
"Yikes, that power's terrifying!"
The three members of the Earth Dragon Squad drew in sharp breaths. The targets at the range were specially made; ordinary Sniper Rifles could leave no more than a black mark on them.
Who could have guessed that a single shot from Hidden Kill would shatter a target completely?
If that had hit a Psionic User instead, anyone below Fourth Order would have died on the spot. Even a Fourth-Order Psionic User might not be safe.
Qin Tian wasn't satisfied with that shot. He had clearly seen that the bullet had hit the five-ring area. It had only destroyed the entire target because of its immense kinetic energy.
Qin Tian reviewed what had happened. First, his accuracy wasn't good enough because this was his first time using Hidden Kill and he didn't yet understand its overall performance. The recoil had exceeded his expectations, causing the bullet to veer slightly as it left the barrel.
Also, he hadn't controlled his Psionic Energy precisely enough, so the three Great Runes hadn't activated in sync. That had affected his accuracy to some degree as well.
Once he'd identified the problems, Qin Tian immediately made adjustments. He fired a second shot, then a third...
By the fifth shot, he had gained a high level of control over Hidden Kill. All he needed now was to fine-tune his technique through actual combat.
"You guys can give it a try too."
Qin Tian handed Hidden Kill to Xiao Yunlong, who had been watching eagerly.
"Here we go! Let the Sharpshooter show you how it's done."
Xiao Yunlong took the rifle, grinning with excitement. But after he fired his first shot, the smile vanished from his face.
"Sharpshooter, you missed the target."
Liu Zhaozhao's lips curled upward. Her airy remark left Xiao Yunlong utterly embarrassed.
Honestly, his marksmanship was quite good. He had even trained with Huang Xun for a while, and his skills had improved by leaps and bounds. He might not have been a Sharpshooter, but he could at least have been considered an elite marksman.
He wouldn't have dared try to operate the most difficult Rune Sniper Rifle without some experience.
Before he pulled the trigger, he'd expected the bullet to veer off course. He hadn't expected it to miss the target entirely.
This was so humiliating.
"Take another shot. Focus on keeping the rifle steady when you fire," Qin Tian said.
"Okay."
This time, Xiao Yunlong focused completely. He steadied his breathing and slowly channeled his Psionic Energy into the rifle, activating the three Great Runes before pulling the trigger.
A second later, the target ahead remained motionless. No sound rang out.
"You missed again."
Qin Dadi shook his head with a laugh. As expected, not everyone could use a Rune Gun. Even Xiao Yunlong, with his decent marksmanship, couldn't hit the target. He'd spare himself the embarrassment.
"Damn, how did I miss again?"
Xiao Yunlong's eyes widened. He'd thought he had controlled the rifle well this time, but the result was no different.
"Forget it. That's enough."
Xiao Yunlong had finally accepted reality. Not everyone could use a Rune Sniper Rifle; it took both marksmanship and precise control of Psionic Energy. He wouldn't waste any more of Qin Tian's bullets.
Qin Tian looked at Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao, but neither seemed interested in trying the rifle, so he put Hidden Kill away.
Before you continue