Wang Hai then pushed the handgun over.
"Next is the handgun. When you go on missions with us in the future, for quite some time, a handgun will be more powerful than your other attacks!"
"But unlike your credentials, you're not allowed to use the handgun under any circumstances unless you encounter a Calamity Beast!"
"If you violate this rule, you'll face very severe punishment, ranging from suspension without pay to imprisonment!"
"Are handguns effective against Calamity Beasts too?" Shen Heng asked as he took the handgun. The cold, hard sensation traveled swiftly from his fingertips to his heart, and his heartbeat involuntarily quickened a little. Across two lifetimes, this was the first time Shen Heng had touched a real gun.
"Yes. Low-tier Calamity Beasts aren't fast enough to dodge bullets!" Wang Hai cautioned. "But don't rely on it too much. A handgun works against First Tier Calamity Beasts and can pose some threat to Second Tier ones, but once a Calamity Beast reaches the Third Tier, a handgun is basically useless unless you can hit inside its body or a vulnerable spot like its eyes!"
"Okay, understood!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Last are the bullets!" Wang Hai pushed over two fully loaded magazines. "From now on, whenever you use your handgun, you have to report it afterward, and then I'll replenish your ammunition!"
"Okay, understood!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Repeat what I just told you!" Wang Hai looked straight at Shen Heng.
"I can show my Supervision Bureau credentials to members of the public and people from other departments when necessary. I can only use the handgun against Calamity Beasts, and I have to report to you, Captain, after every use!" Shen Heng said calmly.
Wang Hai nodded. "Good, as long as you remember! Next, let's go to the training room and see how your Five Animal Fist practice has been going these past few days."
The Supervision Bureau, training room.
Wang Hai stood to one side, watching silently.
In front of him, Shen Heng demonstrated the Five Animal Fist, move by move.
Tiger Form, Crane Form, Ape Form...
A long while passed.
Shen Heng slowly drew back his fists and looked at Wang Hai. "Captain, are there still any problems with my Five Animal Fist?"
"Overall, there aren't any problems anymore. There are still minor flaws in some details, but those should be because you're not proficient enough. Practice more, and eventually you'll naturally be able to feel those flaws yourself and correct them!" Wang Hai said.
Shen Heng nodded in understanding. Reality wasn't a game where you leveled up. Techniques in reality had no clear divisions such as beginner, minor mastery, and major mastery. It was all a gradual process of gaining proficiency and insight, bit by bit.
Wang Hai said seriously, "Starting today, you'll be adding two things to your daily training!"
"Which two?" Shen Heng looked at Wang Hai with some confusion.
"One is unrestricted combat, and the other is firearms!" Wang Hai said.
"Unrestricted combat? Firearms?" Shen Heng couldn't help repeating. "I can understand firearms, but what's unrestricted combat for? Are you going to have me fight Calamity Beasts barehanded?"
"That's right. Combat training is precisely so you can fight Calamity Beasts barehanded in the future!" Wang Hai nodded.
"Huh?" Shen Heng looked at Wang Hai in disbelief.
"No one can guarantee you'll always have a weapon on you when you face a Calamity Beast in the future. Your weapon could break, you could leave it behind, and so on. That's why you need to learn unrestricted combat and how to fight Calamity Beasts empty-handed!" Wang Hai said.
That seems to make some sense, but... Shen Heng couldn't help asking, "Aren't there any fist techniques, palm techniques, kicking techniques, or anything like that?"
Wang Hai explained, "There are, but all of those have to be redeemed with points through Martial World Easy Exchange. Whoever redeems them can't teach them to anyone else, so I can't teach you those either. I can only teach you basic unrestricted combat!"
"If you're interested later, you can redeem them yourself. But your ability is Hearing Enhancement, which doesn't boost your combat power, so I wouldn't really recommend redeeming that kind of unarmed martial art. If possible, you'd be better off choosing one that uses a weapon!"
"Would anything like sabers, spears, swords, and staffs work?"
"Yes, anything works. Even a shield, a weapon that doesn't really count as a weapon, would be fine!"
"Okay, understood!" Shen Heng nodded thoughtfully.
"Follow me!"
Wang Hai turned and walked out of the training room, with Shen Heng close behind.
The two crossed the bright corridor outside the training room and turned left. They passed five tightly shut doors along the way before finally stopping in front of a heavy iron door.
Wang Hai took a deep breath and pushed the heavy iron door open with both hands.
With a long creak, the door slowly opened, and faint smells of gunpowder and wood shavings drifted out first.
Before Shen Heng was a spacious, brightly lit shooting range. The towering walls around it were painted an elegant ivory, and neat rows of target stations stood in the center. On the other side were various firearms and ammunition, all neatly arranged on racks.
"The opponents we'll be facing are Calamity Beasts, so I won't teach you useless things like standard shooting stances. I'll only teach you a few points!" Wang Hai led Shen Heng to a rack and picked up a handgun and ammunition.
Shen Heng nodded and listened attentively to his captain's explanation.
"First, the basics: loading and chambering a round!"
As Wang Hai spoke, he quickly demonstrated beside Shen Heng.
"Click, click... clack!"
With a round chambered, Wang Hai briskly fired a shot at the target ahead, then quickly unloaded the gun and handed it to Shen Heng.
"Try loading and chambering a round first!"
Shen Heng took the handgun without standing on ceremony and began imitating Wang Hai's movements.
"Click, click... clack!"
With a round chambered, Shen Heng looked at Wang Hai.
"Now, raise your arms, straighten them, and keep the muzzle level." Wang Hai raised a hand and pointed at the distant target.
Gripping the handgun tightly with both hands, Shen Heng slowly raised his arms, doing his best to keep them straight, with the muzzle aimed steadily ahead.
"You've heard of the three-point alignment principle, right? The front sight, rear sight, and target have to be in a straight line!" Wang Hai explained from beside him.
Shen Heng took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes slightly. Looking through the front sight, he fixed his gaze firmly on the distant target like a cheetah locking onto its prey.
Unfortunately, what Shen Heng had awakened was Hearing Enhancement, not enhanced vision.
From over ten meters away, the center of the target looked smaller than a coin to him.
Seeing that Shen Heng was ready, Wang Hai continued instructing him from the side. "Squeeze the trigger gently with your index finger. Don't use too much force. Keep your breathing steady and fire as you exhale."
Shen Heng didn't answer, simply breathing quietly.
A moment later, as he exhaled, Shen Heng gently squeezed his finger.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet whistled toward the target and finally struck its edge.
Wang Hai looked at the two points displayed on the scoreboard above the target and nodded. "Not bad. At least you didn't miss the target!"
"From now on, spend half an hour here every day practicing your shooting. Remember, good marksmen are fed one bullet at a time. If you want to shoot accurately, you have to keep shooting!" Wang Hai looked at Shen Heng.
"Yes, understood!" Shen Heng nodded.
"Then practice on your own for now. I'll practice in the next shooting lane, and we'll learn unrestricted combat in a bit." Wang Hai walked toward another shooting lane.
Shen Heng turned back, raised the gun in both hands, and looked straight at the target ahead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...