Chapter 16: The Shooting Range

They entered the dealership and the two of them weighed option after option. In the end, Cao Chuan, considering he would occasionally need to haul cargo, settled on a long-wheelbase Range Rover. With all the paperwork and plates, it cost him another one million eight hundred thousand plus.

The sales girl, seeing the handsome guy pull out an entire case of cash, assumed he was some nouveau riche kid buying a car and hastily called over the Factory Manager. A whole crew of them counted the money while rushing through the paperwork to get Cao Chuan his car as fast as possible.

He stepped outside and checked his watch — not even six yet. He sighed at the thought that having money meant you could do whatever you wanted. A whole case of cash spent, and from outfit to car, he was fully kitted out in under three hours total, and that was even counting the taxi ride.

He slapped on the temporary moving permit, tossed the big bags from the mall into the car, pulled out his kidney phone to make a call, then said to Li Douzhan, "I've got other business — we'll be in touch later." Then, under a gaze of pure resentment, he drove off in his brand-new car.

If you strike it rich and don't return home, that simply won't do. The call he'd just made was to Xiang Hua: he was treating his own people to a meal, and he also needed to see Bai Tuzi about something. So now he drove straight for Hengdian.

Xiang Hua was Cao Chuan's Group Leader in Hengdian and had always looked out for him. Mainly because Cao Chuan was usually willing to endure hardship, had a bold and generous personality, and never quibbled over work. So whenever there was a good gig, he'd generally bring him along. Occasionally, when a well-funded crew wrapped and had a wrap party, he'd even bring him along for a free meal — something already considered extremely rare among Group Performers.

Cao Chuan was meeting Xiang Hua today for two reasons. First, to treat the old bro to a feast, as thanks for the care he'd shown him before. Second, he needed Xiang Hua to put him in touch with someone, to get something done.

The man he wanted to contact was surnamed Bai, a Field Manager. No one knew his given name. Since he was completely bald, directors called him Bai Tuzi, and the Group Performers called him Brother Bai.

Bai Tuzi was a veteran Field Manager who could be considered barely an acquaintance of Cao Chuan's. This man had worked on countless crews, and there wasn't a location he couldn't get in touch with — his connections were vast. Cao Chuan remembered once going to the Training Brigade for an exterior shoot and seeing him chatting away enthusiastically with the range officer. So today, he was treating him to a meal on the side.

His objective was the shooting range.

Ever since those two corpses at Pingfeng Stronghold had hammered the truth home to his body and mind, Cao had truly come to realize the importance of martial force in the Great Ming. These past two days, whenever he imagined that in the future there might be a few, a few dozen, or even a few hundred ancients charging at him with blades drawn, he felt a chill of dread.

As a modern man, the solution to the problem required no thought at all — if there are bad guys, just shoot them with a gun.

When it came to guns, he had a headache too. Back in school, he'd looked at them online, but that was just looking. He'd never actually used a real gun. These past two years, he'd handled the Type 38 plenty often, but those were all props on set, just for show.

How to actually get his hands on a gun — at the moment, he didn't have the faintest clue. But now that he had cash in his pocket, the biggest problem was essentially solved. What he needed now was information and time.

His goal on this trip was simply to go to the Training Brigade and get some practice first. As a complete layman, he at least understood one thing: a gun wasn't something you could just pick up and use. The way they did it on set was definitely not right — he couldn't joke around with his own life.

As soon as he got back today, he'd searched online. Places to practice were very hard to find right now. Shooting ranges all had air guns, and he didn't have time for that. He thought for ages before remembering someone like Bai Tuzi — which was what led to this whole trip to Hengdian.

He didn't dare drive too fast the whole way; he still wasn't used to the new car. Wobbling along, it was nearly seven by the time he reached Hengdian. He hadn't waited long at the main gate before he saw Xiang Hua and the other man walking out together.

He waved the two of them into the car, and the Range Rover headed straight for the Guomao Hotel. The moment Xiang Hua saw Cao Chuan's outfit and new car, how could he not understand the guy had struck it rich? The title "Cao Zong" was immediately trotted out, accompanied by a barrage of questions. Cao Chuan spun a casual yarn, saying he'd switched careers to antiques, got lucky and picked up a missed treasure, and that's how he'd made it.

They entered the hotel. Once the serious dishes were served and the liquor opened, the atmosphere immediately heated up. The meal lasted past nine o'clock. The three of them put away two jin of Wuliangye, and the table of food ran another four thousand.

During the meal, Cao Zong let on that he now had a bit of money and wanted to try his hand at the shooting range for some refined sport, like other people did. Tuzi understood as soon as he heard it, thumped his chest, and declared it was no big deal — he'd get it sorted for Cao Zong tomorrow.

Cao Zong's mood lifted the moment he heard that. So after the meal, he took everyone upstairs to the KTV, called over a few girls to pour out their life stories and discuss their ideals together, and they kept at it until past two in the morning before the three of them concluded the battle.

The next morning, Xiang Hua said his goodbyes and went back to rejoin the crew. Bai Tuzi wasn't in such a rush; he waited for Cao Chuan to get up and mooched another meal of red wine and crab-roe buns off him. Then, burping wine fumes, he pulled out his phone and started making calls. A while later, the communication was done. He left the phone number for the other end with Cao Chuan and only then took off.

Cao Chuan drove all the way back to Cuiyuan District. Li Douzhan was already waiting for him at the door. They carried all the stuff from the car back into the house. Then, after Li Douzhan had picked out a portion of the materials, Cao Chuan drove him to Antique Street. He stayed in the car browsing the internet. A little over an hour later, Li Douzhan brought over a case of money.

After getting in the car, Li Douzhan handed him the case. As the two of them had planned beforehand, inside was two million in cash. The rest of the funds had already been transferred by Li Douzhan into his own account. Cao Chuan took the money, turned the car around, and drove toward the Xishan Training Brigade.

By the time they reached the gate of the Training Brigade, a glance at his watch showed it was already twelve. Cao Chuan dug out the number Tuzi had given him and made contact. Not long after, a burly officer walked out from the main gate — in his thirties, a big man of one meter eight, square-faced. He was a Captain.

Cao Chuan hurriedly got out of the car to greet him. He learned the officer's name was Sun Jian. He invited the man into the car, turned around and found a hotel, and they sat down.

Sun Jian was a really decent guy, with a standard military bearing. He didn't beat around the bush when he spoke, starting right off by saying they couldn't drink baijiu at noon — the smell was too strong — and that they'd just keep it simple. Truth be told, Cao Chuan didn't feel like drinking either; last night's alcohol was still coursing through his veins. So he ordered a lobster and opened a bottle of Bordeaux.

Sun Jian was clearly a bit puzzled. After tasting the Bordeaux, he said, Brother, going to the range to shoot is a small thing. You're spending this much today — there isn't some other matter, is there?

Cao Chuan smiled and began to explain: he'd never handled a real gun before. Coming to have fun today was one aspect, but mainly he was looking for a professional to give him some guidance. He'd just consider it taking Staff Officer Sun as his master.

Sun Jian let out a hearty laugh upon hearing this — your master-taking banquet is pretty high-class. Both men had straightforward personalities, and the conversation went well over the meal. It was during this that Cao Chuan learned Sun Jian had previously served in a peacekeeping force and had fought with real guns and real blades against the Black Uncles in Africa. He'd even earned merits for it and had only been transferred back to the Training Brigade in the last couple of years.

After the meal, around the start of the workday, Sun Jian led Cao Chuan into the range. Along the way, he mentioned that Cao Chuan had come at a lucky time, it being the end of the year. Normally, it was all work units and students here for military training, and there'd be no way to arrange a solo shooting session for him.

Before long, Sun Jian came walking over carrying a Type 56 Semi-Automatic and a box of bullets. He first shouldered the rifle himself to demonstrate the proper stance, then handed the gun to Cao Chuan and told him to copy it. As Cao Chuan held the rifle and dry-fired, Sun Jian stood to the side, patting and tapping to correct his posture, only letting him put the gun down and sit to rest for a bit once Cao Chuan's arms were sore.

Seeing Cao Chuan stretching his arms, Sun Jian said, "The very beginning is the most critical. Habits have to be formed right now. What I'm doing is locking these in for you. As for how many rings you can hit, that's a secondary issue and none of my concern. Later on, once you've clanged through enough bullets, your accuracy will naturally improve. There are no shortcuts here."

Cao Chuan was a bit frustrated. "Don't you guys have anything more modern here? An M16? This old rifle is dead heavy."

Sun Jian smiled and shook his head. "We've got the full domestic rifle family, but I'm not giving them to you. Let me put it this way: the ergonomics of modern firearms keep improving. If you can master this Type 56 Semi-Automatic, then later, when you come across other automatic weapons, you'll pick them up with ease. It's the same principle as running with weights. Brother, your older bro here is doing this for your own good — I can't let your Bordeaux go to waste. Oh, right, for non-official-unit training, it's one kuai eight per bullet. Don't forget to settle the bill before you leave."