Chapter 92

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Watson District, Wilson Shooting Range.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside the indoor shooting range, Tang Yu was wearing noise-canceling earmuffs and holding a kinetic pistol, aiming at targets in various directions and firing multiple shots in succession.

Once the targets were all shot, the number of hits was displayed on the electronic screen above.

The flashing targets scored an eight, the moving targets mostly nines, and the fixed targets were almost all tens.

Tang Yu looked at his results and comforted himself by saying, "Not bad, huh?"

For aiming with the naked eye, this score was quite impressive.

However, it still fell short of the former gun god Tang.

Without the aid of cybernetic systems like ballistic coordination, achieving this level was akin to recovering some of the sensations from his glory days.

Tang Yu placed the kinetic pistol on the table, where several different models of handguns and rifles were laid out, including the Kinetic Pistol Unity and Midnight, which were popular and affordable models.

Tang Yu was using these guns to get a feel for them.

After his rebirth, his body was clean, but fortunately, his sense of guns and vehicles hadn't left him. With continued practice, he could regain his muscle memory.

Tang Yu had grown accustomed to practicing at Wilson Shooting Range, mostly because of that street-rat V. In the past, the two would come here to compete in shooting, and the loser had to treat the winner.

At first, Tang Yu could outshoot V, but that had changed over time.

V had gradually improved, her shooting becoming fiercer and more ruthless, often winning more than losing.

Recently,

Tang Yu had plenty of free time to practice shooting at the range.

The counterintelligence department didn't need him for the time being. Reception had messaged him that David had reported in and was assigned to a specialized internship position.

His old boss Arthur Jenkins wouldn't bother with such trivial matters; it was just Tang Yu scouting for potential new hires for the counterintelligence department.

Gloria got in touch with Regina Jones, and the two hit it off, working together on investigating Militech black material.

As for the night runs, those had also come to a halt.

It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble and not attract the attention of the scavengers.

As for the Valentino gang's request to find someone, it had gone smoothly. Their gang boss was still in jail, so he had asked Jackie to convey sincere thanks to Tang Yu on behalf of the Valentinos, saying they owed Tang Yu a favor.

The job to find Liam Heine was done purely as a favor to Jackie. Tang Yu paid out of his pocket for Gloria to take care of it.

The payment for the Maine team was also substantial, totaling around fifty thousand Eurodollars.

This sum included the fee paid to Gloria, who acted as the middleman.

But Tang Yu didn't mind- these expenses could just be reimbursed through the Special Operations Division's operational funds.

Although he had not officially reported to the Special Operations Division yet, a few days ago, he had received a message from them asking him to decide how to handle the Tanaka vehicle theft incident.

Tang Yu guessed that it was Susan Abernathy's doing; everyone knew that those targeting Tanaka from the Research and Development department were after Militech. Abernathy probably wanted him to clash with the Militech sector.

It made sense for the Special Operations Division to claim the case, and the higher-ups had already approved it, fitting into normal procedures for Tang Yu as the deputy director of the division.

Regarding the Tanaka vehicle theft, Tang Yu was clearer about the situation than anyone: Militech had funded the job, handing it over to the middleman Faraday.

Faraday had then contracted the mercenary Maine to steal the Tanaka vehicle's navigation data.

So, investigating the real culprit behind the Tanaka vehicle theft was about unravelling the conspiracy by the Militech sector.

Since there was a mission, there would be reimbursements.

The fifty-thousand Eurodollar expense could be reasonably charged to the Special Operations Division.

Tang Yu tried shooting a couple of rifles, and although the results were good, they didn't quite suit his taste.

He returned the guns to the rack, took off his noise-canceling earmuffs, and couldn't help but lament,

"I really miss the feel of a good sniper rifle..."

"I wonder if Panam is still constantly threatening to run away from home."

Back when Tang Yu was active in the Badlands, he had met Panam, a girl from the nomad Aldecaldos family.

After they got to know each other, Panam had given Tang Yu a sniper rifle named Overwatch.

This rifle had accompanied Tang Yu in taking down countless targets and had made him appreciate the charm of sniping.

Suddenly,

a voice from behind asked, "Hey, boss, you've got a good shot there. Interested in joining a shooting competition? I bet you could score a pretty good result."

Tang Yu turned around to see the shooting range owner, Wilson, with a noticeable bald spot, speaking through the glass behind him.

Owner Wilson, seeing that Tang Yu did not respond, thought he underestimated the competition and explained, "Don't think just because you're a good shot, the competition will be easy. The shooters today are all tough contenders."

Tang Yu became interested upon hearing this and replied with a smile, "Oh? Is your little shooting range hiding dragons and crouching tigers?"

The chubby owner Wilson proudly said, "My range attracts all kinds of hotshots, from NCPD to Tiger Claws to the mercenaries on the streets. They all come here to practice."

"This time, there's a sharpshooter, and don't be fooled by her young looks; her skills are not inferior to yours. What do you say, boss? Fancy a match?"

Tang Yu knew Wilson was boasting, trying to attract more participants to sell guns, but he didn't call him out on it.

"Sure, I'll sign up. But speaking of which, what's the prize for winning?"

When asked about the prize, Wilson appeared somewhat sheepish and hesitantly added, "Of course, there's a prize. It's a handgun, uh... a particularly beautiful handgun."

While they were talking, Owner Wilson suddenly diverted the conversation and looked toward the entrance of the shooting range.

"Take a look, the sharpshooter I mentioned has arrived. Don't lose to a young girl, okay?"

Tang Yu also glanced over.

He saw a girl with double ponytails entering, chewing gum and blowing bubbles, dressed in a black stand-up collar punk hoodie and black shorts that hugged her chubby thighs, leaving a faint indentation.

Rebecca?

Tang Yu had an impression of her, both from the night of the deal and her performance in the Maine simulated life scenario; she was memorable.

Rebecca swaggered into the shooting range, holding two green-plated modified handguns, and upon seeing the owner Wilson, she spoke with impatience.

"Baldy uncle, there's a match today? Don't bring in some street scrubs to make up numbers again; it's so boring."

To a regular customer like Rebecca who often practiced at the range and paid money, Owner Wilson did not dare to neglect her and quickly replied with a smile.

"Those gangsters don't even deserve to touch guns, let alone compete. Today, we do have a boss with decent aim. The winner is sure to be between you two. The prize is a particularly beautiful handgun."

Rebecca wasn't interested in the so-called prize; she was simply here to practice and compete.

"Baldy uncle, don't talk big with empty promises. I hope you're not going to bring in some rotten fish and shrimp again..."

As she spoke, Rebecca looked through the glass wall and spotted a familiar figure, handsome and refined.

"Is that you?!"

Rebecca recognized Tang Yu instantly.

The way Tang Yu arrived that night, along with his ruthless methods, made him hard to forget.

Their eyes met through the glass, causing the atmosphere to suddenly turn tense and awkward.

Owner Wilson, noticing that they seemed to know each other but didn't appear to be on good terms, quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Both of you are here for a friendly competition; no need to bring in any hard feelings. Let's head inside; the competition is about to start!"

Rebecca then bypassed the glass wall and entered the interior of the shooting range.

Tang Yu stood at shooting lane number four, Rebecca next to him at lane number five, and the other lanes gradually filled up as well.

Owner Wilson, standing behind, explained, "The rules are simple. Just aim and hit the targets. Any target counts, and it doesn't matter if you hit the one next to it. Whoever hits the most targets wins. I mean the targets; hitting the person next to you doesn't count, okay?"

While waiting for the competition to begin, Rebecca leaned over and blurted out, "Corporate. I won't go easy on you in this competition."

Rebecca didn't harbor much ill-will against Tang Yu. After the deal that night, Maine had explained the situation to her.

Even so,

whenever she thought of Tang Yu's corporate background, she couldn't help but feel repelled, especially the ruthlessness he displayed during corporate infighting.

Honestly, she didn't trust people with corporate origins.

But Tang Yu had undoubtedly saved the entire Maine team that night, which made Rebecca, accustomed to paying debts, feel quite uncomfortable.

She tried to console herself in her straightforward way.It's all about collaboration, so it's only right that the company comes to the rescue.

Tang Yu put on his noise-canceling headphones and picked up the kinetic pistol prepared on the desk.

"Let's talk after you win."

"..."

Rebecca frowned, feeling that she had made an uninteresting challenge, returned to her desk, took out a green-shelled pistol from her pocket, and readied her aim.

With a command from the boss, Wilson, each shooting lane's scoreboards lit up, counting from zero to one hundred, with one point for each hit on the target.

Scoring a perfect ten out of ten shots would result in a full score of one hundred points.

As the mechanical tracks began to roll, targets on the ceiling started to move around.

Suddenly, a target popped up to the left, and the six shooters almost simultaneously aimed and fired at the target.

Bang!

Six gunshots merged into one.

Following that, scores lit up on the various lanes' scoreboards.

Tang Yu's score directly showed nine points, indicating that his bullet had hit the nine-ring.

He glanced slightly at Rebecca's side, who showed a score of ten, meaning she had hit the ten-ring.

Rebecca seemed to notice Tang Yu's score and couldn't help but smirk, "Hey, corporate boy, still not quite there yet."

Tang Yu was somewhat surprised by the girl next door's marksmanship. He frowned and aimed more carefully, growing serious.

As the shooting competition intensified, the targets appeared and disappeared faster and faster.

Tang Yu continuously hit several ten-rings, boosting his score to sixty-nine.

Meanwhile, Rebecca maintained a perfect score, leading with a full seventy points.

Both their gunshots were steady and rhythmic, completely immersed in the competition.

Using a lull in the shooting, Rebecca glanced at Tang Yu's scoreboard and saw she was only ahead by one point – it was a close fight, which spurred her on as she murmured, "Corporate boy, I won't lose to you!"

The shooters in the surrounding four lanes were left far behind by the two, staring in amazement and ceasing to fire, intrigued by their contest.

Even the boss, Wilson, behind them was sweating, surprised that a newcomer, relying on his eyesight, could match Rebecca, who had superior knowledge and top-notch marksmanship as a regular customer here.

Both had entered the final decisive stage.

In an instant, a target shifted further to the right, and Tang Yu seized the opportunity to score a ten-ring hit as the target quickly retracted.

Rebecca was too late to fire again, her expression darkened, and then she quickly aimed at a new target to the left, firing and hitting it, though it was only a nine-ring.

She tensed up, realizing the situation was turning unfavorable.

Both scores hit the final stage at ninety-nine points.

Whoever hit the last target would win.

For the first time, Rebecca felt sweaty palms and her heartbeat quickened, her brows unconsciously furrowing in a "W" shape.

"Crap..."

With both their skills on display, the last shot wasn't a matter of ability but luck.

In Rebecca's intense moment, the final target appeared.

Without hesitation, she decisively aimed at the target in the right corner and fired.

Bang!

The bullet sped out of the barrel and struck the corner target, which then reset.

Rebecca immediately looked up at the scoreboard, showing she was the first to hit a ten-ring and score a perfect one hundred!

"Yay!"

Wearing her headphones, Rebecca raised her gun, kicked her legs, and jumped excitedly.

"Corporate boy, I win..."

As she looked over at Tang Yu, her excited eyes suddenly filled with confusion.

Tang Yu had already put down his gun and taken off his noise-canceling headphones.

She looked again at the scoreboard on Tang Yu's lane, which still showed ninety-nine points.

Rebecca recalled that there had only been one gunshot – her own ten-ring hit.

Did this mean Tang Yu hadn't fired at all?

Rebecca froze, then felt a surge of anonymous anger; she hated this feeling.

The competition she was so engrossed in had ended with her opponent conceding without a fight, which was extremely disappointing and disrespectful.

Rebecca angrily took off her headphones and threw them onto the desk, demanding an explanation.

"Hey! Corporate boy! What's the meaning of this?!"

"Why didn't you shoot?!"

Tang Yu, acknowledging her fiery temper and without taking offense, simply replied, "Congratulations, you won the match."

Rebecca was not appeased but blocked Tang Yu.

"Corporate boy, that was really too much, it's insulting, you know?!"

"So annoying, I might just kill you!"

Realizing Rebecca was indeed serious about the competition, Tang Yu explained.

"I meant no disrespect; to underestimate an opponent would be foolish."

"The matter is, the outcome of this match wasn't about marksmanship."

After listening, Rebecca's anger subsided slightly, and though she still seemed unconvinced, she appeared to be considering his explanation.

If it wasn't about marksmanship, what was the reason?

Puzzled, Rebecca tapped her forehead with her pistol, as if deep in thought.

Suddenly, she looked toward the corner of the gun room where the last target appeared.

"Right!"

A realization struck Rebecca as she quickly said: "The last target appeared in the right corner, and you were standing in the middle position, while I was more to the left. If we had fired at the same time, no matter what, you would have hit the ten-ring before me."

Tang Yu nodded approvingly, as if pleased she had figured it out, thinking her temper might be foul, but her mind was sharp.

Moreover, he noted with interest that she also had a life simulation option, though it too was greyed out.

He thus took the opportunity to engage more with Rebecca, setting some foundations for future interactions.

Upon understanding Tang Yu's intention, Rebecca found the corporate-born Tang Yu to be less objectionable.

"Alright, corporate boy, I'll let you off this time, but don't let it happen again."

After speaking, Rebecca went to the boss Wilson and demanded her prize, "Balding uncle, hand over the prize."

Reluctantly, Wilson pulled out a Lexington pistol with a camouflage brown casing from his pocket.

"This is the gun you won."

He handed the pistol to Rebecca, muttering under his breath about his recent bad luck: having organized several contests and given away many guns without selling a single one.

Rebecca inspected the pistol, found the quality good and felt comfortable in her hand, and well broken-in. She paid Wilson one thousand eurodollars, which was more than enough for the Lexington.

Her generosity instantly made Wilson beam happily, his previous gloominess gone.

Rebecca simply smiled at his flattery.

"Balding uncle, don't be so funny. Organize some proper contests like today in the future and invite fewer amateurs." Wilson disdainfully replied that those second-rate amateurs couldn't compare, and not even worthy of touching the guns.

After Wilson returned to the front desk, Rebecca, unconcerned with the small talk, handed the Lexington to Tang Yu.

"Corporate boy, here you go, a gift from me."

"I won the competition, so the prize is yours."

Accepting the gun, Tang remembered the significance the Lexington had to him – it was the starting point when he began to mix with the street crowd after leaving Arasaka.

"Thanks," said Tang Yu, accepting the pistol.

"Don't mention it," Rebecca waved it off.

"I'm Rebecca, a member of the Maine Gang."

"Tan Yu, working at Arasaka, dealing with the stuff you know."

After a brief exchange of smiles appreciating the humor, Rebecca concluded, "I really enjoyed today's competition. Hope to see you again."

Before leaving, she made it a point to tell Wilson, "Balding uncle, if he comes by again, remember to call me, got it?"

Wilson nodded, implying he'd keep her informed, and with that, Rebecca left the shooting range.

Tang Yu weighed the Lexington in his hand and decided to practice a little longer.