The Gun King Was Up to No Good

Ten thousand mud horses stampeded through Song Zhi's mind. Pinning someone against the wall at a shooting range? This guy really was something!

"You missed the second lieutenant, so shouldn't you miss me, your fellow countryman, even more?" As Lu Yu spoke, his lips drew close to hers.

Song Zhi pressed her lips together and said nothing. She remembered how this fellow countryman of hers had aimed a Barrett at her in the rainforest, ready to blast her.

She didn't dare miss him!

Lu Yu's thin lips were just about to meet Song Zhi's when, in the next second, they landed on the side of her face instead. The touch was featherlight, more like a Western-style cheek kiss.

But Song Zhi knew it clearly wasn't.

Song Zhi braced both hands against Lu Yu's chest, but she couldn't muster even a bit of strength to push him away.

A faint smell of gunpowder hung in the air, mingling with the cold, sharp scent unique to him. The intimate tension in the cramped shooting booth instantly soared, leaving her at a loss for a moment.

After that one kiss to quench his thirst, he pulled back slightly and gazed intently at her, as if trying to see through to her heart.

"What, you didn't miss me?" His voice was low and husky, with a hint of danger.

Song Zhi gritted her teeth and finally found her voice. "The lieutenant sent you to teach me how to shoot, not to act like a rogue." She tried to keep her tone calm, but the faint tremor at the end carried a thick nasal note and an indescribable sensuality.

Lu Yu chuckled, his smile playful and uninhibited. "Heh, a rogue?"

He took a small step back and released her, yet still kept her trapped within the force of his presence.

"When I kiss you, I'm a rogue, but what about the second lieutenant? Playing favorites!"

Song Zhi lowered her head and said nothing. The truth was, she was out of ideas. Had she become a succubus?!

She had always been self-aware, and knew full well that with her looks and figure, there was no way she could be irresistible to everyone. She often found herself wondering whether she had some earth-shattering secret hidden inside her. If she did, she would gladly hand it over with both hands rather than act out some kind of "The Breaking Ice" with a few muscle-bound soldiers here.

Forbidden pleasures felt good for a while; loved ones shed tears afterward.

"No more teasing. Come on, it's time I taught you something real. Ever fired an assault rifle?" Lu Yu stepped out of that intimate proximity and began teaching her in a methodical manner.

Song Zhi tilted her head and was just about to speak when Lu Yu ruthlessly cut her off. "Video games don't count! Gatling gun fireworks don't count either!"

Song Zhi: "..."

Then why did you even ask?!

Lu Yu put down the sniper rifle and grabbed a German HK416 modern assault rifle. He deftly changed the magazine and chambered a round, his movements cool and crisp. He raised the gun to his chest and aimed at the moving target ahead, firing single shots first, then two- and three-round bursts, before controlling the recoil as he sprayed it with automatic fire.

Gun smoke filled the shooting range as shots rang out in bursts, and Lu Yu had already shredded the target ahead. Dressed in a light gray camouflage training uniform, he had a cold, stern look in his eyes. All traces of his outwardly restrained, inwardly flirtatious manner were gone, replaced by a fierce, chilling killing intent that radiated from his entire body.

If he had been holding an AK just then, he would have looked every bit like a ruthless bandit and god of slaughter made flesh.

"An assault rifle is the weapon of choice for an individual soldier. It has a long range and high killing power, and it's suited to medium- and long-range combat. It can fire single shots or in fully automatic or semiautomatic mode, offering both accuracy and sustained firepower. Its only drawback is the heavy recoil. Although the technology has been improved, you still need plenty of practice to get the hang of it." As Lu Yu explained, he dismantled the gun and walked Song Zhi through its internal structure and how it worked.

At Lu Yu's prompting, Song Zhi fumbled her way through assembling the gun. Once it was put together, she copied him and raised the rifle. It was heavy. She looked through the sight, lined up the bullseye, and pulled the trigger, firing single shots at the target.

Not a single hit! Every shot missed the target!

Song Zhi: "..."

The slap in the face had come so fast that it caught her off guard!

"Recoil affects how much your arm bends, which in turn affects the bullet's trajectory. It's normal for your shots to go off course." Lu Yu stood behind Song Zhi, pressed tightly against her lower back. He gripped her arms with astonishing force, like a pair of iron clamps holding her elbows firmly in place.

"Keep your arms straight and tense here. Set the stock in your shoulder pocket and hold it tight. Take a deep breath, look through the sight, and fire!"

Song Zhi pulled the trigger as instructed. On full auto, she emptied the entire magazine in one sweep. The rapid firing heated the assault rifle until it was hot to the touch, while the powerful recoil jarred the web of her hand and her shoulder numb.

By the time the magazine was empty, the hair at her forehead was soaked with sweat. She leaned against Lu Yu, gasping for breath.

"Not bad. Twelve hits out of thirty rounds. On a battlefield, you could take one or two enemies down with you before you died." Lu Yu took the gun from her, set it on the table, and handed her a bottle of water.

Song Zhi took the water, unscrewed the cap, and tipped her head back to gulp down several mouthfuls. The cool water slid down her throat, easing her heat and exhaustion a little. She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed from the strenuous exercise, but her eyes held a new trace of stubborn refusal to admit defeat, along with the bewilderment of someone who didn't know any better.

Lu Yu stood to one side with his arms folded, watching her with a somewhat appraising look mixed with a hint of barely perceptible concern. His tone was calm and composed. "No one on the battlefield will give you a second chance. You need to control your breathing and rhythm to hit your target more accurately."

Song Zhi put down the water bottle, took a deep breath, and looked up at Lu Yu, her dark, bright eyes unusually determined. "One more try."

Lu Yu raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised by her persistence, but he didn't refuse. He handed her a rifle again and said quietly, "This time, try semiautomatic mode. Get used to the recoil and balance your accuracy first, then work on speed."

Song Zhi nodded, took the gun, and adjusted her stance, bracing the stock firmly in her shoulder pocket. She didn't rush to fire. Instead, she closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing as Lu Yu had taught her, feeling the subtle balance between her body and the gun.

A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes, locked onto the bullseye through the sight, and gently pulled the trigger.

Empty casings fell one after another, clattering sharply as they scattered around her feet.

Lu Yu leaned against the bulletproof glass door with his arms folded, watching Song Zhi repeat the shooting motions over and over. For a moment, he lost himself in thought.

After Song Zhi's capture, Group A had been divided over whether to keep her. He and Wilk had advocated keeping her, while Lai'en and Hill had opposed it. Kelante had abstained as usual, balancing the conflict within Group A, but abstaining had also amounted to supporting his and Wilk's proposal indirectly.

What was puzzling was that Lieutenant Lai'en, who held veto power, hadn't used it.

Heh! What a sly old fox, so good at hiding his intentions!

The facts had proven that Song Zhi was well suited to Group A, or rather, that she was born for it. The way she used her little tricks and that refusal to admit defeat she was showing now were truly charming!

Song Zhi emptied another magazine. Twenty of the thirty rounds hit the target, six of them squarely in the bullseye. It was a decent result, barely a passing grade. She lowered the rifle, shook out her aching, numb arms, and breathed heavily.

"That's enough for today. We'll continue tomorrow." Lu Yu walked over and checked every gun, magazine, and safety one by one. Only after making sure everything was in order did he put all the guns back into the weapons bag and pick it up. "Come on, let's go home."

Lu Yu carried the weapons bag in one hand and took Song Zhi's hand in the other, holding it in his palm. Looking at her cheeks, flushed from the strenuous shooting, he could clearly see the sweat in her hair. "Look how tired you are. You should have a hot bath when we get back. What's your lesson tonight?"

Song Zhi tossed her hair and said aloud, "Hill's information technology and intelligence analysis." Her tone was somewhat angry and resistant.

Lu Yu picked up on it and chuckled softly. "Heh, then skip his lesson today. Come to my room, and I'll teach you how to clean a gun and apply oil..."

Clean a gun? Apply oil? What kind of suggestive talk was that?!

Song Zhi stopped in her tracks and frowned at Lu Yu, only to find him grinning wickedly. Her already flushed cheeks grew a little hotter. She hadn't expected Lu Yu to say something like that in such a serious tone.

An awkward yet intimate tension filled the air. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter.

Lu Yu lowered his head and leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing her cheek. "What, embarrassed?" His voice was low and teasing.

"Who-who's embarrassed?!" Song Zhi stammered back, trying to hide her fluster, but the tips of her ears had already turned red. She turned away from him, her gaze falling on the guns in the weapons bag as she tried to calm herself down.

Lu Yu raised his eyebrows, his smile growing even more wicked as he deliberately drew out his words. "What are you thinking? Gun maintenance is a required part of shooting lessons and an essential skill. The bolt needs to be lubricated regularly, or the bullets can easily jam!"

The corner of Song Zhi's mouth twitched. "..."

Buddy, you'd better really mean cleaning guns!!