Chapter 12: 12 Isn't the Style Here a Bit Off?

12 Isn't the style here a bit off?

When the Red Brick Road Hospital began, for reasons unknown, to slowly devour its patients, Li Ang, who had already rushed to the vicinity, felt a sudden stab of pain in his eyes and discovered that the entire world before him had gone black.

"Wait! Don't go in yet!"

"What?"

The bandaged woman, whose arm he had grabbed, turned her head back in confusion, only to be startled to discover that, as if blinded by some intense flash of light, both Li Ang and the Heishanyang in his arms were squeezing their eyes tightly shut, with tears even beginning to stream in great quantity from the corners of Li Ang's eyes.

"This hospital is alive!"

Gazing up at the black flames that had erupted skyward within his soul-vision, Li Ang—his "eyes" scorched by the firelight—endured the searing, burning pain and, gripping the bandaged woman's arm, explained:

"Just now, the instant you were about to walk inside, it seemed to receive some kind of signal and suddenly gained a soul of its own—and… it's roughly as strong as a few hundred ordinary souls!"

The entire hospital?

After hearing Li Ang's words, the bandaged woman nodded to show she understood; behind her mask, her eyes narrowed slightly as she began rapidly analyzing the situation.

If the hospital suddenly gained a soul, the three most likely possibilities were: an anomaly directly attached to the building; an out-of-control Tainted One whose ability could manipulate structures; or the entire hospital having been temporarily peeled away from the world, no longer bound by the rules of reality.

However, in the first case, the control shouldn't be this precise—activated at the exact moment I was about to enter; the third case requires not only sufficient power but also the ability to break through the world's standing, and if the strength is only equivalent to a few hundred souls, it shouldn't be able to accomplish that.

So… it's most likely that the out-of-control Tainted One's ability is related to buildings, or even needs to rely on buildings to be deployed.

"You don't need to go in. Stay outside and help me!"

After pondering for a while at the hospital entrance, the bandaged woman bent down and opened her suitcase, took out several sets of matte metal parts from the bottom, and began assembling them with brisk, practiced movements.

As the item she was assembling gradually took shape, Li Ang stared in utter astonishment and realized that the thing looked oddly familiar.

A brass barrel with a fully threaded bore; a firing group composed of a receiver, recoil spring, bolt, and trigger; a bracket clamped beneath the barrel; a shoulder stock contoured to the shoulder; and a single-tube scope mounted atop the barrel…

Wait… isn't the style here a bit off?

I thought you'd be charging in with a Bible in your left hand and a war hammer in your right, chanting incantations and using mystical tools to purify the anomaly—but instead you turn around and hand me a big sniper rifle?!

Under Li Ang's utterly dumbfounded gaze, the bandaged woman, having finished assembling the rifle, first took out three small silver-white canisters from the very bottom of her suitcase, clicked one of them onto the side of the brass barrel with a sharp snap, then opened what appeared to be the "magazine" beneath and showed Li Ang the bright-white metal spikes inside.

"This is a portable nail gun the Director got me from the military. It uses disposable air canisters to power the nails. Its range and power are quite a bit weaker than the standard version—barely over five hundred meters—but it's still enough to punch through the hospital's outer wall and kill the target outright."

As she spoke, the bandaged woman handed the other two air canisters to Li Ang, instructing him with a serious expression:

"In a moment I'll go in to look for that out-of-control Tainted One and see if I can take it out directly. If I can't manage it, I'll still try to find a way to stay glued to it at close range. If that happens, don't hesitate—just shoot!

Also, although there are still quite a few nails left in this gun, there are only three air canisters, so you only have three chances. If you miss all three, you must withdraw immediately, run back to the Bureau, and wait for the Director to return. Got it?"

"…"

Got it, I did get it… but don't you trust me a bit too much?

Staring at that oddly shaped brass "sniper rifle" on the ground, Li Ang couldn't help feeling a bit at a loss.

In my past life, I may have played plenty of battle royale,

but back then I only ever used a keyboard and mouse—I've never actually touched one of these things. Being able to fire a bullet normally right now would already be a miracle, let alone shooting while you two are tangled up at close range.

Honestly, I'm really afraid that when I pull this trigger, I won't take out the out-of-control Tainted One, but instead take you out first…

"You don't need to worry about hitting me."

Reading Li Ang's hesitation, the bandaged woman comforted him gently:

"Since I dared to let you do the shooting, I naturally have the confidence that I won't be hurt by friendly fire. I just adjusted the scope and sights for you. As for the specific operating method, I'll explain it to you in detail next…"

"As for operating it, I might know a little…"

After recalling the films and shows he'd watched in his past life, Li Ang said, somewhat uncertainly:

"Find a high spot with a good view, spread your legs and lie flat on the ground, keep your body pressed close to the surface, then shoulder the stock, and line up the sight, the muzzle, and the target—three points on one line?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing Li Ang's words, the bandaged woman said with a look of surprise:

"Prone-shooting drill? Do you have a military background?"

"Barely… counts, I guess?"

Li Ang's eyes flickered slightly as he brushed it off:

"Before my parents were killed in action, they were mechanics under the military, and they taught me a little about this stuff… um… just a tiny bit."

I see…

Hearing this, the bandaged woman nodded in understanding, not doubting where this knowledge had come from, but then quickly shook her head and said:

"Your answer isn't wrong, but that's the aiming method for a different kind of mid-range rapid-fire firearm. That kind has a shorter shooting range, and the sights sit level with the barrel, so you can use the three-points-on-a-line method to confirm the target.

But mine is different. If you look closely, you'll see the scope sits higher than the barrel. If you still shoot using the three-points-on-a-line rule, the nail will land below the target."

After pointing to the scope mounted above the barrel and tracing a diagonal line in the air between the scope and the muzzle, the bandaged woman explained to Li Ang, whose face now showed sudden realization:

"After the nail is fired, its trajectory isn't actually a straight line—it will droop slightly. To use this kind of medium-to-long-range precision firearm, you have to know the nail's flight path, calculate where it will land, and use the mil-dot table to calibrate your scope and muzzle…"

"Zing!"

【Through Emma Arman's clear and accessible detailed explanation, you have successfully activated the Iron-tier badge "Shooting Rookie"】

【Shooting Rookie: A novice shooter who has only undergone basic training, with extremely poor accuracy—worrying, to say the least】

【Equip Effect: Although you've only had simple training, you are still considerably better than a complete novice. When consciously correcting your aim, your shooting accuracy will receive a small boost】

【Advancement Path: After completing 200 live-fire shots, or 1,000 simulated trigger pulls, this badge will automatically advance to the Huang Tong badge "Shooter"】

【Hidden Trait: None】

"Zing"

【Through your own study and reflection, you have mastered a low level of firearm shooting ability. The heterochromatic badge "Materialist Soul (Crimson)" has been activated.

Your understanding of firearm shooting is "low," but because you are good at thinking, summarizing, and self-adjusting, when aiming at the same target and shooting, each time you miss, the probability of hitting on the next shot will increase slightly】

Your understanding of firearms shooting is at "Low," but because you are good at thinking, summarizing, and self-adjusting, when you aim at the same target and fire, each time you fail, the probability of hitting on the next shot will increase slightly.