0086 Partners Chaotic Battle

Unconvinced, Jin Shanshan widened her eyes and looked closely, only to have them instantly round in disbelief. One hand covered her lips, barely stifling a cry of surprise! There, at the center of the concentric rings on the chest of the humanoid target, three bullet holes overlapped perfectly, forming a symbol reminiscent of a biohazard logo.

Three shots, one hole!

It was nothing short of a terrifying miracle!

"This, this, this..." Jin Shanshan was utterly stunned. She pointed at the target, then at Hou Rui, who was grinning broadly, unable to accept the result.

Jin Shanshan was already among the more diligent students at the Police Academy. In addition to classes, she practiced shooting weekly, firing over a hundred rounds each time. Yet, compared to Hou Rui's marksmanship, her skill was like a blind man shooting at a target.

"Enough with the 'this, this, this.' A bet's a bet, you have to pay up!" Hou Rui said, moving slowly closer to Jin Shanshan. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, his other hand reaching to unbutton her collar.

"What are you doing?" Jin Shanshan was bewildered by Hou Rui's actions, not reacting immediately. She simply lowered her head and watched dumbly as he quickly unfastened the first button of her collar.

"You promised to let me kiss you," Hou Rui said as his mischievous fingers reached for the second button.

"Where... are you going to... kiss?" Jin Shanshan's blood pressure shot up, her anger surging instantly. She forced the words out one by one, rigid with fury.

"Here, of course," Hou Rui replied innocently, pointing boldly at Jin Shanshan's chest.

"Ah! I'm going to beat you to death, you rascal, you pervert!" Jin Shanshan exploded again, pounding Hou Rui's head and back with her fists. Her face was a mix of anger and embarrassment, utterly forgetting Hou Rui's astonishing marksmanship.

While the two were frolicking at the shooting range, far away outside the glass doors of Range No. 3, two figures watched Hou Rui in secret.

"Is that him?" asked a refined young man in a light gray tailored suit and gold-rimmed glasses, his tone filled with skepticism.

He looked about twenty-five, radiating an air of composure and luxury from head to toe—a privileged, well-educated scion. His features were passable, and overall, he could just about be considered handsome.

"Absolutely! I saw him at Xia Miao Mountain last time. He embarrassed Hai twice. Hai hasn't shown his face in ages now, and I heard the Liu family plans to send him abroad. Everyone knows it's just to remove Hai from the scene, let things cool off in the capital's circles—a way to avoid the spotlight," the guy with a single large earring said, stepping back like a sidekick. If Hou Rui were present, he would instantly recognize this was the one who had stirred up most of the trouble at Xia Miao Mountain.

"Enough chatter. Is his marksmanship really that extraordinary?" the refined man asked.

"Heh, Young Master Zhou, you wouldn't believe it. Hai was truly scared out of his wits that day. There was a girl named Taozi present, and she said this kid's bullets were grazing Hai's skin," the earring-wearing man declared with a gleeful expression, as if he was delighted by others' misfortune.

"Is it credible? Maybe that girl exaggerated?" The man in the suit eyed Hou Rui with growing interest, as if he had discovered some rare toy he longed to possess.

"No, no, that girl spills everything when she's in bed. Young Master Zhou, if you take this kid down today, you'll overshadow Hai, and even the Liu family will have to watch as your Zhou family steals the show," the earringed man suggested slyly, pulling family rivalry and capital politics into the fray.

"Do I need you to teach me how to handle things?" Whether Zhou Xing was convinced or had already made up his mind, he pushed open the door and entered Range No. 3.

Just then, Jin Shanshan had nearly beaten Hou Rui breathless. Exhausted from their scuffle, they were about to return their firearms at the bar when the earringed man blocked their path.

"Is this your friend?" Jin Shanshan whispered to Hou Rui, eyeing the insolent newcomer.

"Not a friend, but I've seen him once," Hou Rui replied, glancing at the earringed man before focusing on the refined man in the suit behind him. Hou Rui instinctively disliked his forced smile—no one knew each other yet, and already the grin seemed insincere.

"You survived that cliff fall, huh? Lucky guy. Let me introduce: this is Young Master Zhou, a leading figure in the capital's circles, rivaling Hai," the earringed youth declared, stepping aside in deference.

Dressed in a suit and exuding scholarly refinement, Zhou Xing stepped up before Hou Rui and Jin Shanshan.

"Hello, don't listen to Xiao Bei's nonsense about Young Master Zhou, it's laughable. I'm Zhou Xing." He extended his hand.

"Hou Rui." Unsure about Zhou Xing's background, Hou Rui opted for caution, giving a brief handshake before withdrawing.

"Xiao Bei says your marksmanship is impressive. Want to play together?" Zhou Xing continued, seeing Hou Rui hadn't refused. "Don't misunderstand—I'm just a fan of guns and shooting. Whenever I meet an expert, I can't resist a friendly match to learn a thing or two."

"I don't mind, but I have a condition," Hou Rui said. He'd considered refusing, but decided it was better to resolve trouble now than defer it, especially with Jin Shanshan present. Leaving loose ends could spell disaster.

"What condition? Let me hear it, but I don't gamble with money," Zhou Xing replied graciously.

"It's not about money. If I win, you and your young masters and gentlemen leave me alone. I'm just a commoner, let me live my simple life," Hou Rui said humbly, though his sharp eyes held steady, showing neither weakness nor inferiority as he looked at Zhou Xing.

"Haha, I can't speak for others, but if I lose, I promise you won't see me again. Deal?" Zhou Xing said.

"Deal!" Hou Rui agreed, and Zhou Xing's smile deepened. He gestured to Qiangzi at the bar, "Please transfer our firearms to Range No. 6. We'll do a partner free-for-all."

Qiangzi looked to Hou Rui for confirmation. Only when Hou Rui nodded did he address Zhou Xing, "Certainly, Mr. Zhou. I'll arrange it right away!"

"Monkey, what's partner free-for-all?" Jin Shanshan, visiting Tomorrow for the first time, whispered to Hou Rui as Qiangzi got busy.

"It means two people per team, several teams fighting simultaneously. The battlegrounds are warehouse, ruins, or standard arena. The team with the highest hit count wins," Hou Rui explained, drawing on his year of experience working at Tomorrow.

"Real guns and live ammo?" Jin Shanshan's eyes widened—the competition seemed far beyond her imagination.

"Of course not. Real guns firing ink rounds—the experience is much like paintball," Hou Rui replied.

"Phew! That scared me. All right, just watch me teach these guys a lesson. Monkey, in the capital, only I get to beat you up—no one else!" Jin Shanshan declared.

Hou Rui could only shake his head, taking Jin Shanshan's hand and following Zhou Xing and Xiao Bei toward Range No. 6.

Unlike Range No. 3's individual shooting stations, Range No. 6 was divided into three separate sections. A large group of diverse players gathered at the bar, where an entire wall was lined with massive screens displaying live footage from cameras inside the arenas.

"This gun's amazing—headshot at forty-five meters!"

"Look, that sweep missed every shot. Is this monkey here just to clown around?"

"Haha, seems so!"

"Shh, Pea Girl has already snuck up behind that guy, and he hasn't noticed at all. This round's over."

The crowd buzzed with commentary—clearly seasoned regulars who had honed their discerning eyes at the range.

Unlike the curious and wide-eyed Jin Shanshan, Hou Rui entered and immediately scanned the crowd for potential opponents. Since Zhou Xing wanted a partner free-for-all, he must have skilled shooters under his command. If Hou Rui could identify them ahead of time, he'd be better prepared—especially with Jin Shanshan present, he couldn't afford any slip-ups.

Unfortunately, there were too many spectators—at least fifty or sixty filling the area—making it impossible for Hou Rui to pick out the key players quickly.

"Hello, could you arrange an arena for us? We want to play a round," Zhou Xing asked the bartender.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou. The arenas are packed—there's a four-hour wait. Would you mind waiting a bit?" The bartender recognized Zhou Xing and explained apologetically.

"I see. Which arena will be free next, and who’s next in line? I’ll go and speak with them myself," Zhou Xing responded with impeccable courtesy, never making things difficult for the staff.