New Skill

Han Lin followed the two elite soldiers to the shooting range. Looking at the massive range, as large as an indoor sports field in both length and width, he could not help clicking his tongue in amazement. He could sense Howard Stark's extravagance. He had built such a large training ground for just a few dozen subordinates, with unlimited ammunition supplies. Only a tycoon like Howard Stark could afford that.

Han Lin looked over the surrounding firearms. There were none of the models he was familiar with from later generations. The weapons used by the United States during World War II were mostly the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, Thompson submachine gun, Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol, and M1C sniper rifle.

He casually picked up a Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol. Before crossing over, Han Lin had been a thoroughly law-abiding citizen of China, with zero knowledge of or exposure to firearms. When he pointed the muzzle at himself, Barry beside him immediately pulled his hand down. Han Lin had recently been getting familiar with his Danger Perception skill, so he generally kept his nerves taut, allowing Danger Perception to better integrate into his life.

When Barry reached out, Han Lin instinctively wanted to block him. But Danger Perception gave him no warning, so he suppressed the urge and obediently allowed his hand to be pulled down.

Stephen hurriedly explained, "Barry means no harm. He just thinks it's unsafe to point the muzzle at yourself."

Han Lin smiled and nodded. "It's my first time handling a gun. Introduce it to me—what should I do?"

Stephen took the Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol from Han Lin's hand. "The M1911 is currently one of the most commonly used pistols in the U.S. military. This is the semi-automatic version. It fires using the short-recoil barrel principle, has a standard seven-round magazine, and is relatively large and heavy. Its recoil is also considerable by design, which affects shooting accuracy. Of course, that amount of recoil probably won't affect you much.

When firing, most people hold the gun with both hands, place one foot forward and one back, and use the front sight to aim at the humanoid target."

As he spoke, Stephen handed the M1911 to Han Lin, signaling that he could begin shooting practice. After showing Han Lin how to disengage the safety, he stepped back and stood nearby.

Han Lin aimed the front sight at the head of a humanoid target thirty meters away. Bang... The smell of gunpowder spread through the air as the gun in his hand kicked. The bullet grazed past the target. With Han Lin's current physique, he could easily see any human-shaped object within two hundred meters.

Han Lin recalled his previous firing posture, tightened his grip on the gun, and began shooting. Bang! Bang... A series of shots rang out, and the humanoid target's head thirty meters away was hit repeatedly, splintering into wood chips.

Han Lin ejected the empty magazine, picked up a loaded one from beside him, and began firing at a humanoid target fifty meters away. The farther the distance, the more factors he had to consider. Although he aimed at the head, fifty meters was already the M1911's effective range, and two of the seven bullets missed.

Han Lin felt that his muscle memory allowed him to quickly learn firearm-related knowledge. He turned to Stephen and Barry. "I need a lot of practice. Can you help me prepare more magazines?"

The two said nothing further and immediately began loading ammunition into the empty magazines. Han Lin began his shooting practice, and the shooting range filled with the endless sound of bang, bang, bang...

Han Lin worked his way from the fifty-meter target to the eighty-meter target. Eighty meters was considered the M1911's limit. Once Han Lin had fully familiarized himself with the M1911, he switched to the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, Thompson submachine gun, and M1C sniper rifle.

After spending three hours at the shooting range, Han Lin had become familiar with every firearm. Golden shell casings were piled all around him. He had used nearly a thousand rounds across the four weapons, and he felt as though the smell of gunpowder lingered stubbornly in his nostrils.

Just as Han Lin was about to stop and rest for a while, he suddenly heard the system's voice.

Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked the skill: Firearms Level One: ammunition capacity +35%, damage +20%. This skill will function passively.

Weapon Storage has been unlocked. Host, it is best to collect more ammunition and firearms for storage in the system. If there are no firearms in the system compatible with the ammunition, the ammunition capacity passive will not activate.

Han Lin looked at the skill in pleasant surprise. In other words, his M1911 would have two more bullets than anyone else's, and its damage would increase by 20%. He wondered what that would look like. As he spoke, he picked up the 1911 he had just practiced with and fired a shot at the humanoid target thirty meters away.

Bang... A thunderous shot rang out. Since the head had already been destroyed, Han Lin did not aim at it this time, instead firing at the chest. The bullet passed straight through, blasting a large amount of wood chips from the back. Han Lin quickly walked over and looked at the bowl-sized hole in the target's back, his expression excited.

"So my firearms can deal explosive damage from now on? That's pretty powerful!" Han Lin muttered to himself, unaware of the strange looks from the two elite soldiers. Both were top fighters in the military and knew firearm power better than anyone. A pistol should not have been capable of such an effect, yet somehow this shot had done it.

Hearing Han Lin mutter, the two silently watched him, waiting for an explanation. Han Lin only wanted to verify his guess. If the power had increased, then the velocity had increased as well. Would the range be extended too? Returning to the firing line, he raised his hand and fired six shots at the humanoid target eighty meters away. The greater distance made the force less intense than at thirty meters, but it still left the eighty-meter target unrecognizable. After changing magazines, he fired seven shots at the one-hundred-meter target. Every shot hit. "Sure enough, that 20% power increase affects all three aspects. It isn't just bullet power—the effective range has increased too. Then the maximum range should increase as well."

After confirming his thoughts, Han Lin looked at his skill with delight. This was only Level One. Once it reached Level Two or Level Three, it might become even more powerful. The sudden skill made Han Lin a little excited. After all, this was World War II, and he was about to go to the battlefield, where he would definitely face all kinds of danger. That was why Han Lin had constantly familiarized himself with guns and ammunition, so he could adapt to the battlefield sooner. Now, this skill gave him some confidence that he could survive there!

After stopping his practice, Han Lin felt that shooting stationary targets would no longer bring much improvement, so he gave up on continuing.

As for the Weapon Storage issue, he would need to wait until Howard Stark believed what he said first. Looking at the Weapon Storage in his system, a huge space measuring five by five by five, it seemed the system wanted him to carry an entire arsenal by himself. Filling it would require quite a lot of things.

He had Stephen find someone to tell Steve Rogers that he had something to do and would meet him in a week, telling Steve not to worry. He also had them send Steve some money so he could live a little better recently. He said nothing more, because he knew that this world's will would not change because of a little ant like him. Steve Rogers was one of this world's wills.

When Han Lin walked out of the training room, he saw that the sky beyond the factory had already darkened. When people were focused, they never noticed time passing. The moment he stepped outside, Han Lin discovered an indescribable hunger in his body...

Taking Barry with him to the cafeteria, Han Lin was not picky. He lined up behind the workers to get food: a bowl of mashed potatoes, some vegetables, and two slices of bread. After devouring it, Han Lin got another serving. When he stood before the Black cafeteria lady for the third time, she asked, "Who are you? I've never seen you before. Why can you eat so much?"

Barry finally seemed to catch on and stood up. "He's the boss's guest. Let him eat!"

The Black cafeteria lady gave Han Lin another double portion. Still not fully satisfied, Han Lin felt that before going to the battlefield, he needed to fill at least half of his storage space with food so he would not go hungry.

Han Lin headed to Howard's laboratory. Through the glass, he saw Howard assembling a machine inside. When Howard saw Han Lin enter, he said, "Wait a moment. It'll be ready soon. I need to give you a complete test!"

As he spoke, Howard fastened the last few bolts, securing the entire machine to the floor. He powered it on, and data appeared on the display. After calling Han Lin over, he said, "Punch the rubber pad, then kick it. After that, we'll test your speed and jumping."

After a round of tests, they obtained a shocking set of data. "Punching force: 650 kilograms. Kicking force: 1,100 kilograms. One hundred meters in 7.3 seconds. Maximum speed: 19 meters per second. Jump height: 7 meters. I finally understand—you're a monster. A casual punch or kick from you could bring destruction to an enemy."

Han Lin shook his head speechlessly and rolled his eyes at Howard Stark.