Sun Ting possessed an exceptional aptitude for learning; within moments, every shot landed squarely on the target from a distance of ten meters.
Ye Qingyi, however, struggled with her stance. Tang Ze approached and gently adjusted her posture by guiding her arms into position.
"Hold the gun firmly with both hands," Tang Ze murmured close to Ye Qingyi's ear. His proximity made her tense, but she complied nonetheless.
Then came the words that sent a chill down Ye Qingyi's spine:
"You just raised your hand."
Panicked, Ye Qingyi accidentally pulled the trigger. The pistol discharged with a loud bang, then clattered to the floor.
Tang Ze picked up the fallen weapon and handed it back to her with a wry smile. "You're even more skittish than Xiao Bai. I'm disappointed."
"I won't let you down," Ye Qingyi declared resolutely.
Tang Ze gave her rear a playful pat, his lips curling into a mysterious grin. "We'll see how you perform. Keep practicing—I'm going to take a nap."
The moment Tang Ze closed the door behind him, Ye Qingyi collapsed onto the ground, trembling. He had noticed her raising her arm...
And he had clearly intended to kill her...
A wave of icy dread washed over her.
"He's giving us guns because he no longer fears them," Sun Ting remarked, cutting straight to the point.
Why hadn't he provided weapons before, when he had the means? Now he offered them freely, without hesitation. Something must have changed.
Of course—he's a vampire. Perhaps he leveled up during his last outing and is now immune to firearms.
Ye Qingyi cursed herself silently. How could she have forgotten about his true identity?
Suddenly, Tang Ze poked his head out of the bedroom, grinning. "If anyone scores below eight rings tonight, congratulations—you'll be pulling an all-nighter with me." With that, he shut the door again.
The three women exchanged glances and immediately resumed their target practice. Even An Bai, who was usually timid, steeled herself.
An all-nighter? No one wanted to endure that. It was better to keep practicing with this gun—at least it wouldn't kill them. The other one, though… that one was lethal.
Tang Ze slept until evening, waking up to eat while reviewing their progress.
As the saying goes, sharpshooters are forged through endless bullets. Besides, twenty meters wasn't exactly a daunting challenge.
All three women passed the test.
So, Tang Ze increased the difficulty.
Fifty meters—just don't miss the target. Then one hundred meters—same deal. But those who performed well would receive a reward.
"Master, what's the reward?" An Bai asked curiously.
"What do you want as a reward?"
An Bai thought for a moment, then shyly replied, "I just want to stay by your side."
Sun Ting and Ye Qingyi exchanged knowing glances. Clever girl. If she ever makes a mistake, Tang Ze might hesitate to punish her.
Competition breeds improvement. From the balcony to the building across the street was approximately one hundred meters.
At that range, the bottle on the table across the street appeared as nothing more than a tiny dot—a challenging feat for a pistol.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Shell casings piled up on the ground. Tang Ze had prepared ten crates of ammunition, leaving the women astonished. He might as well have been running an arms depot.
The neighbors likely mistook the constant gunfire for firecrackers.
After two days of intense training, they could all hit the target at one hundred meters, albeit inconsistently. Tang Ze was satisfied with their progress.
Next up: rifles.
The AK-47's recoil proved too much for them, so Tang Ze opted for the G36 assault rifle instead.
Adjusting to the rifle's weight required some effort, so they incorporated strength training into their routine, lifting dumbbells and performing other exercises.
"Sun Ting."
Sun Ting handled the rifle with flawless precision, her movements fluid as she fired repeatedly, riddling the target with bullets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Tang Ze smiled with satisfaction. At least all the shots landed on the target.
"Seeing your outfit reminds me of Peacekeeper Elite," Tang Ze teased, eyeing Sun Ting's black stockings. "You look like an in-game character."
Ye Qingyi chuckled softly. "It really does resemble it."
"Look who's talking," Sun Ting retorted, rolling her eyes. "You're far more provocative than I am."
Next, An Bai and Ye Qingyi completed their shooting drills, shredding the targets with a barrage of bullets.
"Master, do you have a sniper rifle?" An Bai inquired, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.
"Do you like sniper rifles?" Tang Ze asked, intrigued.
"I play CS:GO in my spare time. Sniper rifles are brutal."
Without hesitation, Tang Ze produced an AWM sniper rifle.
Ye Qingyi thought to herself that she wouldn't be surprised if Tang Ze pulled a rocket launcher out of thin air at this rate.
An Bai's eyes lit up as she eagerly set to work. She deployed the bipod, lying prone on the ground to stabilize her aim.
Tang Ze perched himself atop An Bai's back, scanning the horizon through binoculars. "Eleven o'clock, red curtains. There's a crystal ball inside."
"Copy that," An Bai replied, sounding surprisingly professional.
Bang!
Tang Ze raised an eyebrow. This girl has potential.
"Too close," he remarked dryly.
She's getting cocky.
"Down on the street, about three hundred meters. The streetlight bulb."
Bang!
"Nice shot, Xiao Bai," Ye Qingyi couldn't help but praise.
Tang Ze suddenly had an idea. His subordinates couldn't remain weaklings forever. They needed to assist him in seizing resources—after all, he couldn't afford to waste their talents.
Tang Ze continued scanning for targets when a window caught his attention. A smirk crept across his face.
"Xiao Bai, two o'clock, seven hundred meters. Eighth floor, middle window."
An Bai aimed at the target. Through the scope, she saw a woman pressing her hands against the glass, clearly in agony. Behind her stood a man wearing a cruel smile, repeatedly striking her.
"Your target is the man," Tang Ze said calmly.
An Bai steadied her breathing, her aim unwavering. For the first time, she felt no fear—not even when aiming at a living person. Seeing the man reminded her of all the monsters she despised.
Bang!
An Bai's body trembled slightly.
Tang Ze exhaled, patting her on the shoulder. "You need more practice," he said before lowering the binoculars.
Sun Ting quickly grabbed the binoculars to inspect. The bullet had struck its mark—but it had blown the woman's head off instead.
"Xiao Bai, you've ended her suffering," Sun Ting consoled.
An Bai's face fell, guilt washing over her. She had meant to kill the man but had forgotten about bullet drop—a factor nonexistent in video games.
Ye Qingyi spoke softly, "Xiao Bai, even if you had killed that man, others would have taken his place."
"But… this was my mistake…"
Tang Ze gave An Bai a light tap on the head. "If your aim is off, practice more."
That ignited An Bai's competitive spirit. As a gamer, she was no stranger to being called "inexperienced."
Especially that phrase: Practice more.
For the next three days, An Bai trained obsessively. Starting at eight hundred meters, she gradually extended the range, eventually achieving a perfect headshot at one thousand meters.
Her targets were exclusively male. Occasionally, she startled herself, muttering, "I almost hit that adorable cat."
Sun Ting and Ye Qingyi were stunned. The once timid An Bai was now taking down men with ruthless precision, consistently aiming for headshots.
It had to be said: this was a girl utterly consumed by gaming.