Chapter Forty-Five: Free Firearm Training

Every time Chen Hao studied history and came across the term "Sick Man of East Asia," he felt a pang of distress. The game "War" was uncannily realistic, and hearing Steve utter that phrase in person—even though he had mentally prepared himself—still caused his blood to boil.

The other five players felt the same way; whenever a compatriot heard those words, it always felt like a humiliation.

Chen Hao was about to step forward to retaliate, but Liu Zixuan had already walked out and said, "Captain Steve, please take back what you said. If you refuse, I will challenge you to a duel."

"A duel?" Captain Steve twirled his finger and replied in broken Mandarin, "The Sick Man of East Asia is no match for me, let alone a female Sick Man of East Asia?"

Second Lieutenant Podolski looked awkward and stepped forward to say, "Captain, they saved my life—they are my guests..."

Captain Steve replied with arrogance, "I only respect the strong. The Sick Man of East Asia who saved your life is still a Sick Man of East Asia. They are beneath my respect."

Liu Zixuan was so furious she felt as if her lungs might burst. She shouted, "What makes you Germans so remarkable? Marching in neat formation is nothing but pomp and circumstance—mere showmanship!"

"Showmanship?" Captain Steve sneered, "Female Sick Man of East Asia, I can give you an opportunity. You may compete with me in military skills. If you win, I will retract my words and apologize to you."

"Player Liu Zixuan, NPC Steve has issued you the quest 'Contest.' Quest completion requirement: Defeat the captain in military skills. Quest reward: Learn a military skill."

Upon receiving the task prompt, Liu Zixuan hesitated. She didn't accept immediately—not out of fear, but because she remembered she was accompanying Chen Baxian to complete a quest. If she accepted, would it interfere with Chen Baxian's quest?

Thinking this, Liu Zixuan glanced at Chen Hao and said, "Captain, I triggered a competition quest. Is this the quest you wanted? If I accept, will it affect your quest?"

Liu Zixuan managed to resist the temptation even after triggering a special quest, which erased Chen Hao's misgivings about her. He smiled, "I do want to do this quest, but if you can teach that foreigner a lesson, I'll applaud you wholeheartedly."

"Very well, let me compete with this foreigner," Liu Zixuan declared, brandishing her bow and arrow. "Captain Steve, I challenge you to an archery contest."

Captain Steve's face twisted with mockery. "No wonder your people are called the Sick Man of East Asia. It's the era of firearms now, and you still cling to obsolete antiques. Sorry, but in our infantry manual, archery is not considered a military skill. If you wish to compete, I can challenge you in marksmanship."

Liu Zixuan had never touched a gun in the game, but she had invested her military attribute points into shooting. Hearing Captain Steve's ridicule, she couldn't back down. She bit her lip lightly and said, "Fine! I'll compete with you in marksmanship."

Chen Hao was determined to acquire the bullet reloading skill. He didn't stop Liu Zixuan from accepting the task because he knew she couldn't possibly complete it. Foreign NPC soldiers excelled at shooting; the German army was considered the world's best, and even an ordinary soldier had a shooting attribute of over 50. Captain Steve, as an officer, had at least 70. With Liu Zixuan's mere twenty-something points, how could she possibly win?

Chen Hao wasn't trying to embarrass Liu Zixuan. The contest was not dangerous, and practicing marksmanship with free ammunition was an opportunity not to be missed.

Captain Steve led the group to the shooting range, tossing a Mauser G98 rifle to Liu Zixuan. "Sick Man of East Asia, this is the latest Mauser rifle. I hope you don't blame the firearm for your defeat."

Captain Steve was arrogant, looking down on people from China, but he disdained cheating during a contest. The G98 rifle was the most advanced in the world at the time—it was first used during the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China, and the German troops stationed in Jiaozhou were equipped with it.

Liu Zixuan had never handled firearms in the game, so she looked awkward holding the Mauser G98, which provoked further ridicule from Steve. After fiddling with it for a while, she finally familiarized herself with its operation and said coldly, "Let's begin the contest."

Captain Steve shook his head, "Oriental woman, you decide how many rounds we'll compete with."

Before Liu Zixuan could reply, Chen Hao smiled slightly and said, "Captain, with fewer bullets, luck plays too great a role, and it doesn't truly reflect a shooter's skill. I think three hundred rounds would be fair."

Liu Zixuan didn't know why Chen Hao suggested three hundred rounds, but she went along with him. "Yes, let's compete with three hundred rounds."

Captain Steve was confident his marksmanship was far superior to this Chinese woman. The more shots, the less chance of an upset, so he had no objections. "Very well, as you wish. We'll compete with three hundred rounds."

The Mauser G98 rifle held five rounds at a time, which could be loaded with a clip or through the top ejection port. Liu Zixuan, unfamiliar with rifles in the game, had only loaded one round when Captain Steve had already finished loading.

Captain Steve shook his head again, "Foolish woman—how dare you challenge me when you don't even know how to handle a gun?"

He began firing. In his first five shots, he scored an impressive forty-two rings. At this time, Liu Zixuan had just finished loading her rifle. Steve was in no hurry to reload, choosing instead to stand by and watch her shoot. Liu Zixuan's shooting attribute was only twenty-seven; out of five shots, four missed the target entirely, and only one scored six rings.

Captain Steve shook his head again, "The Sick Man of East Asia is indeed a Sick Man of East Asia. Such poor marksmanship, and you still wish to compete with me..."

Chen Hao stepped forward again, "Captain, even if your military skills are formidable, we will never lack the courage to challenge. Even if our companion fails, we will continue to challenge your military skills and never submit."

"Continue to challenge?" Captain Steve laughed, "With your abilities, you wish to defeat me? The other five of you may also compete with me in marksmanship. If any one of you shoots better than I do, I will retract my previous words."

Captain Steve felt Liu Zixuan’s marksmanship was so poor that winning felt unsporting, so he decided to make things harder for himself by challenging all six. Little did he know that this was exactly what Chen Hao wanted. Though, including himself, the other five were even worse than Liu Zixuan, where else could you find the opportunity to practice with three hundred free rounds?

Gunshots echoed at the range as Chen Hao and the other five players each picked up a Mauser G98 and aimed at the targets. Their hit rates were abysmal. The worst were Chen Hao and Lin Xiaofeng, both close-combat specialists who had allocated their free attribute points to fighting. Chen Hao had a shooting attribute of ten, Lin Xiaofeng seven. Hitting the target at all was a minor miracle.

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