A Little Knowledge

PM · 7:57 PM.

East Corridor, Chima Avenue.

A black Volga drove into the villa district's road.

Xiao Qi chattered endlessly to the siblings in the back seat as she drove.

After avoiding a few main roads, she no longer needed to rage on the road.

At this moment, she was in a great mood.

"I'm telling you! Bu Liuxing really knows how to pick a place to live."

"This area is next to the racetrack and the Marriage Stone, with unobstructed roads running horizontally and vertically. There are three large parks nearby, and you can see Victoria Harbour across the sea within two hundred meters."

"If you want to eat, drink, and have fun, there are sixteen shopping malls around, a convention center, three golf courses, and a Gucci boutique."

"If you want to climb mountains and exercise, you can team up with the grandpas and grandmas in the villa district to go to Fragrant Incense Peak and Big Horse Mountain."

"Driving to the mountain viewing platform and pavilions isn't far. You can even eat authentic Baiwei Chicken on the way down. I can only say it's wonderful!"

"The only downside is the price. But the price isn't the problem, it's definitely my problem, don't you agree?"

Seventh Brother shook his head, like a tour guide soliciting customers.

The siblings remained expressionless, like old monks in meditation.

Upon arriving at Bu Liuxing's residence, Jiang Xueming first familiarized himself with the roads around the garden, memorizing the streets in front of and behind the detached villa, making it easier to escape if something happened in the future.

When he returned to the main entrance, A Xing personally ran out to greet them.

Xue Ming saw Bu Liuxing, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts with sneakers, running out and waving to the security guard to open the gate.

His short-sleeved T-shirt had a pink seal head printed on it, which was quite flashy.

"Brother Ming, Brother Ming, you're finally here! I wanted to pick you up at the airport, but you said..." Bu Liuxing ran up to Jiang Xueming, intending to hug him.

Xue Ming glared at the burly man, dismissing him with his eyes.

"Hey," A Xing said sheepishly, then continued, "but you said you wanted me to invite some teachers to the house, people who know how to shoot and fight. I asked around, and I just brought the teachers back, which took a little time."

"Thank you," Jiang Xueming said as he walked inside with A Xing. "You've worked hard."

Xiao Qi drove Bailu to find a parking space at the residence.

A Xing and Xue Ming went to the main hall of the villa. Before entering, there was a metal detector security check, with cameras placed in the porches on both sides.

Xue Ming pointed at these things and asked, "Are your home security facilities connected to the police department?"

"That's right," A Xing said, scanning his face at the main gate. "If anything unexpected happens, someone will arrive immediately."

"Do you have a way to get an anti-aircraft machine gun?" Jiang Xueming asked again. "Or an aircraft cannon removed from a plane? I'd feel more at ease using it with the surveillance system."

Bu Liuxing didn't quite understand. "Huh?"

Jiang Xueming rephrased, "Can your parking space accommodate a truck? Like a sixteen-wheeler?"

"Brother Ming, what are you thinking?" A Xing muttered softly. "Should I find some landscapers tomorrow to remove the flower beds? And pull out the ornamental trees? Then the truck should fit."

"Good," Xue Ming nodded, finally relieved. "Thank you for your trouble. Bailu and I will be living here from now on."

"Hooray!" A Xing shouted joyfully. "Brother Ming, I've done so much for you, you have to agree to that one thing, right?"

Jiang Xueming looked confused. "That thing?"

A Xing explained seriously, "The coffee shop! Opening a coffee shop at the train station!"

Jiang Xueming nodded in agreement. "Okay, I promise."

"I'll attract customers at the front counter, and you'll make pastries in the kitchen! We'll definitely hear a lot of stories!" A Xing said excitedly, then noticed Jiang Xueming's numerous bags of luggage and took a few.

As the two headed inside--

--the luggage they were carrying immediately set off the metal detector alarm during the security check.

"What's going on?" A Xing scratched his head and bent down to feel his backpack. "Brother Ming, what did you bring?"

Jiang Xueming remained silent, only lowering his head to unzip the bag.

Inside was a set of close-fitting chain mail and four polymer greaves.

A Xing clicked his tongue in amazement. "Wow, you didn't fly back, did you? How did you get through security?"

Xue Ming explained, "I bought it as a handicraft. It has a collection certificate, and I had the luggage checked in."

A Xing said disdainfully, "Why buy this stuff? I heard you were going back to your hometown to see your parents. Does your father have a dream of charging at windmills?"

"Not exactly," Xue Ming continued to explain. "They threatened to break my legs before. As a precaution, I wore this set when I went home. I didn't need it afterward. It's not valuable stuff, just leave it by the door."

Just then, the closed-circuit television next to the porch lit up.

"Mr. Bu Liuxing, we've received a police report. What's going on? The report just came in indicating a large amount of metal objects passing through your front door?"

It seemed the metal detector alarm at the security check had been transmitted to the local police department.

Bu Liuxing chuckled at the camera. "It's nothing, nothing. Sorry about that!"

"Understood. If there are any abnormalities, call the fire department immediately. The line will be faster that way. We'll be there as soon as possible." As soon as he finished speaking, the closed-circuit television went dark.

The two of them worked together to throw the bundles into the foyer, leaving the chainmail behind.

Finally, Xue Ming was carrying the brocade box gifted by Boss Ye and was about to head to the main hall when an alarm stopped him again.

A Xing immediately asked, "What's this now?"

"A gift from an old friend," Xue Ming explained. "He said it's a staff, also a semi-antique. Probably metal."

Before the CCTV fully lit up, A Xing proactively went to explain the situation and defuse the threat.

After it was done, A Xing said to Xue Ming, "Come on, let's take this brocade box inside. How can we just casually discard a gift from an old friend? I like unboxing things too. Show me when we get inside!"

Once in the hall, Xue Ming didn't rest for a moment. He first carefully observed the decorative items in the hall, then noticed the ashtray and fruit knife, and the commemorative pen on the bookshelf.

In his eyes, these could all become weapons, and might be useful in the future.

The way Xue Ming looked at things made Bu Liuxing shiver.

After a while, he finally finished searching the hall, dining room, kitchen, and study, and prepared to go upstairs.

A Xing felt this couldn't go on and quickly called out, "Brother Ming! Brother Ming! How about you look slowly tonight or tomorrow morning? Shall we go to the gym to meet the teachers now? Aren't you supposed to do a physical test? They've been waiting for a long time, and we still have a meal to eat!"

Jiang Xueming nodded cautiously, "Okay."

The two walked through the backyard and exited from the other side of the gate. At the end of the backyard pond was a small greenhouse, containing potted plants that grew out of season.

It was clear that Bu Liuxing's mother loved gardening.

Exiting the greenhouse and walking a few dozen meters further was the three-story composite gym and entertainment room.

Along the way, many cleaning and caretaking aunties greeted Bu Liuxing.

Jiang Xueming walked and took notes, afraid of getting lost in this large house.

A Xing secretly wondered if Brother Ming was planning to set up traps or something inside the house, otherwise, why would he care so much about every corner and every terrain?

The basement level of the gym and entertainment room was a small shooting range. There were still many signs of renovation, as if it had been hastily completed in a few hours. The site was filled with the peculiar smells of wood planks, rosin, paint, and welding.

"Ta-da!! How is it?" A Xing spread his arms, looking smug. "When I received the message, I immediately called people to do the renovation! This used to be a wine cellar, and my mommy had a lot of stored wine!"

"Although I don't know if your mother will hit you, her precious son," Jiang Xueming felt quite awkward. "But I still have to say thank you."

"Next, if you need anything, talk to the teachers in detail!" Bu Liuxing said to Xue Ming, then shouted towards the people at the entrance of the shooting range: "Teacher Liu! Teacher Li! Coach Zhou! My friend is here!"

A Xing turned to Xue Ming and earnestly instructed, "Communicate well with these teachers. These few are quite professional."

Xue Ming: "Okay."

Bu Liuxing walked upstairs, intending to leave for now. "I'll go prepare dinner and arrange rooms for your sister and the attendant. Call me when you're done. Don't take too long, and it would be best if you could come help in the kitchen."

Xue Ming turned back and gave Bu Liuxing a thumbs-up.

"Okay."

Outside the main door, Xiao Qi did not enter the house immediately.

She called Bailu inside to rest first, while she leaned against the doorway, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Nine-Five-Two-Seven!"

The greeting arrived before the person.

Following the sound, a woman jumped down from the second floor of the villa.

Like Seventh Brother, she was wearing a swallowtail dress, a white shirt, and a burgundy tie.

This was Bu Liuxing's attendant. Xue Ming had met her at the train station when she had dragged Bu Liuxing by the ear to undergo a disinfection procedure.

Seventh Brother immediately became lively upon seeing a familiar face.

"3301!"

3301 was this attendant's designation.

"Nine-Five-Two-Seven, are you living here now?" 3301 first stepped onto the porch railing, her movements agile as if she often climbed onto rooftops. She spoke without a breath, landing lightly in front of the porch. "How have you been lately? Yangchun told me about you two."

This Miss 3301 had neat, short hair. She seemed to have poor eyesight, wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Her bangs and the hair at her temples looked like they were cut with a single stroke into neat, straight diagonal lines.

"Hey, hey, hey! Tell me," 3301 leaned closer, nudging Seventh Brother with her elbow, her eyes ambiguous. "What kind of family is that passenger from? What's his personality like? How did you get so smitten?"

Seventh Brother pouted. "Three-Three. Can you not be so gossipy?"

"Then do you want to hear about my story with this rich young master?" 3301 raised her eyebrows and smiled.

Seventh Brother's spirits immediately lifted. "Tell me in detail."

"We're all the same kind of people. Those who pretend to be raging internet gossip leaders all day shouldn't put on an act," 3301 shook Seventh Brother's arm and asked again, "Tell me! Seven! Tell me! Jiang Xueming! Tell me!~"

"He..."

Seventh Brother hesitated for a moment, her expression becoming lost.

"He's very special. My feeling is that he should be a very gentle person. He acts decisively, but he's very meticulous."

In the shooting range--

--The shooting instructor invited by Bu Liuxing greeted Xue Ming.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang Xueming, I'm from the International Practical Shooting Confederation, a member of the North American Rifle Association, and a shooting instructor for the East District Police Department. My surname is Liu, you can call me Teacher Liu."

Jiang Xueming looked up at the fully armed shooting instructor—

He could feel the contempt and impatience in the other man's eyes, his head held high, the subtle expression of looking down from above.

That kind of attitude, to use a peculiar analogy, was like a graduate student who had to teach kindergarteners how to solve problems, feeling restless and agitated.

He felt an inexplicable hostility. The other two instructors wore the same expressions.

Especially A Xing's fitness coach, the robust man's disdain was practically written on his face when he saw Xue Ming's height and build.

Xue Ming thought carefully.

These instructors were probably all old friends of A Xing. This inexplicable hostility likely stemmed from distrust due to different social circles.

It made sense. If a rich young master you'd known for a long time suddenly tore down his family's wine cellar for someone he'd only known for a few days, you'd probably be wary of such a person. Maybe A Xing had fallen for a pyramid scheme or had his heart broken.

"Hello, Teacher Liu," Jiang Xueming said without any extra words, waiting for the shooting instructor's instructions.

Two guns were placed on the table.

Teacher Liu picked up one of them and explained to Jiang Xueming.

"Here we have an SVI Infinity competition pistol and a Sig Sauer P220. The performance of these two guns is different, and so is their shooting accuracy.

I'll use this Sig Sauer, manufactured in 1975, and you'll use this brand-new SVI, fresh from the factory in 2024. We'll take turns for shooting training. Young Master Xing said your shooting skills are quite good."

"I only know a little," Xue Ming picked up the object on the table. He had never seen this kind of gun before, nor had he seen such high-end equipment at shooting clubs. "Why do you and I have different guns?"

The combat instructor, Teacher Li, scoffed, "The one in your hand sells for five thousand dollars. Old Liu's used one was a steal at fifteen hundred bucks, so of course, they're different."

Teacher Liu chuckled awkwardly and glanced sideways at Jiang Xueming, "Since you are Young Master Xing's friend, I believe our shooting scores shouldn't be too far apart. Young Master Xing will surely be happy to hear this news."

"Of course," Teacher Li winked and then put on a deliberately envious expression towards Jiang Xueming, "For Mr. Jiang Xueming, Young Master Xing tore down his family's wine cellar to turn it into a shooting range. I don't know what kind of magic Mr. Jiang Xueming has that makes Young Master Xing willing to go to so much trouble and spend so much money."

Xue Ming understood the subtext from the two instructors.

They weren't here to conduct a proper test for Jiang Xueming, but merely to appease Bu Liuxing.

"Teacher Liu, please give it your all during the shooting session later, okay?" Jiang Xueming emphasized sincerely, "I don't know my own level, but as a shooting instructor for the police department, I am deeply honored that you could come here to test me during your busy schedule. I hope to understand my true shooting level through this test."

Teacher Liu's eyes were filled with incomprehension, and he secretly thought—is this guy really not joking?

He doesn't even recognize the gun in his hand, so where does he get the confidence to say words like "give it your all" and "true level"?

Before Teacher Liu could figure these things out.

Jiang Xueming asked the three of them again, "Do you have a Phillips head screwdriver? A small one."

Surprisingly, the fitness coach, who looked down on Mr. Xue Ming the most, silently dragged a toolbox over from the renovation site.

Jiang Xueming bowed his head in thanks, took out the tools, and began to tinker with the firearm.

Teacher Li became curious, "Are you going to disassemble the gun?"

"Hey! What are you doing?" Teacher Liu quickly stepped forward to stop him, "The Infinity is very expensive! Don't break it!"

"Give me two minutes, it'll be done soon," Jiang Xueming said, removing the gun's scope mount and red dot sight.

The reason was simple.

First, he had never used a red dot sight at his previous shooting club. In his subconscious, not having used it meant not knowing how to use it.

Second—

"—I haven't used such a heavy secondary weapon before. The scope bridge and sight are too heavy. The grip of this gun is actually machined from aerospace-grade aluminum alloy, which is quite unusual," Jiang Xueming explained. "Teacher Liu, do you have a rear sight compatible with the 2011 Gun Family?"

"Oh, I have one here." Teacher Liu saw Jiang Xueming manipulate the slide and magazine release lever. Jiang Xueming's disassembly technique didn't look like he was messing around, so he handed over the rear sight parts from his bag.

"Thanks." Xue Ming took the parts, installed the screws for the rear sight's dovetail, and aligned the notch of the rear sight with the front sight on the slide.

He reassembled the firearm, took out some petroleum jelly from the toolbox, applied it to the slide rails, and racked the slide several times to ensure smooth operation.

Then, he casually found a roll of electrical tape and wrapped a layer around the cold and sharp aluminum alloy grip to prevent the expensive, heavy, and hard grip from affecting shooting accuracy.

Finally, he placed the firearm back on the table next to the magazine, raised both hands with palms facing outward, indicating he was unarmed and awaiting instructions.

"I'm done."

In that instant, Teacher Liu's expression changed several times as he looked at the SVI Infinity on the table.

Without its ostentatious scope mount and sight, the gun's black and gold contrasting slide and grip, with their clean, geometric lines, possessed a rugged, industrial aesthetic.

Teacher Liu thought to himself, could Young Master Xing's friend actually be a gunsmith?

Teacher Li stood by with his arms crossed, a slight smirk on his lips, "This kid certainly has a lot of tricks up his sleeve."

Teacher Liu asked, "You said you only know a little?"

Hearing the instructor's question, Xue Ming answered seriously.

"In the past, at shooting clubs, I rarely had the chance to handle real guns. Ordinary members could only handle GAS-powered toys. The structures of these things are more or less the same, and you can figure them out after disassembling and reassembling them a few times."

"I only know a little."