Chapter 416: Each Harbors a Secret Motive

Ying Duo tilted his head, "Senior brother?"

"Xing Ke."

Fang Zhiyan said the name in a calm tone, as if mentioning a stranger.

"He studied with me for a while before, but later our development philosophies diverged, and he turned to the field of weapon development."

"Even if it's just for my sake, a junior brother whose research direction aligns with yours wouldn't refuse easily."

Ying Duo silently noted this in his mind; although he had no particular opinion about this so‑called "senior brother," he indeed needed more weapon blueprints.

Unlike the cannon that requires him to design it himself, once he has the blueprints and materials to reassemble, he can truly wholesale without any thought.

He finally shifted his gaze from the wall full of firearms back, and Fang Zhiyan, unbothered, picked up a pistol from the shooting range, twirled it in his hand, then handed the grip forward to him.

"Give it a try first," Fang Zhiyan said.

Ying Duo took the gun; he had handled guns many times before, but usually only when the situation was urgent would he pull a weapon from his pack.

Because Ying Duo left everyone with the impression of being highly proficient with guns, he wouldn't need anyone to teach him how to use one.

Fang Zhiyan slightly adjusted his grip, pushing the web of his hand a bit forward, placing his left hand beneath his right, then pushed him aside from the shooting range.

"Give it a try first."

Ying Duo's arm remained perfectly still; the rigidity of his body actually prevented any physiological tremor when firing, and Fang Zhiyan stepped back, slipping both hands into his pockets.

"Fire."

"Bang—!"

His words fell, and the sound exploded through the training room.

A small dot lit the outer rim of the target; the bullet hole was slightly lower left, still some distance from the bullseye.

When firing, there is recoil that requires a bit of skill to counteract; Yang Yixie had already accumulated considerable experience from previous shootings, so he lowered the gun slightly and fired again.

"Bang—!"

The second shot left a small dot on the edge of the bullseye.

Fang Zhiyan stayed silent beside him; Ying Duo actually didn't need much guidance—after all, for ordinary people surviving on the wasteland, firearms are the best means of self‑defense.

Many people never receive formal training, improving their accuracy through repeated trial and error.

Ying Duo already possessed a high proficiency with firearms, and now, with time and a well‑equipped venue, mastering them completely was merely a matter of time.

"Bang—!" (bullseye).

"Bang—!" (bullseye).

"Bang—!" still a bullseye.

In this respect, Ying Duo's talent—or rather, the difficulties Yang Yixie needed to overcome—were far fewer than those of ordinary people.

This rigid body could serve as his weapon, yet it was also his greatest liability.

Yang Yixie only needed time and space to gradually master every firearm that Ying Duo was already familiar with.

Fang Zhiyan handed him a rifle, "Try this one as well."

Ying Duo took it; the rifle was heavier than the pistol, with its center of gravity more forward.

The stance for holding a rifle felt stranger than for a pistol, but his body quickly found a balance point, likely thanks to the experience of shouldering that cannon.

The first shot missed the target; the recoil made the muzzle jump up, striking his shoulder.

Basically every firearm is the same—after an initial break‑in period, Ying Duo can get the hang of it quickly.

But for now they're only shooting at close‑range stationary targets; later they'll switch to farther, faster, irregularly moving ones.

For him, only enough time is required.

Fang Zhiyan watched from the side for a long while; Ying Duo kept firing again and again as if he never felt fatigue, only later, when his energy was nearly depleted, he fumbled out a bottle of the potion Fang Zhiyan had given him earlier and pretended to drink it.

"This training room belongs to the Mutation Department, and most of our people aren't in the Dome, let alone come here. You can train here anytime; no need to rush now."

Ying Duo's body might not feel tired, but wouldn't Yang Yixie's spirit grow weary?

Shooting itself demands a lot of energy, yet Ying Duo seemed unwilling to stop there; Fang Zhiyan said little, simply left the training room to Ying Duo and returned to his laboratory.

Fang Zhiyan understood why Yang Yixie was so obsessed with improving his strength; indeed, he was quite pleased to witness such a scene.

Only sufficient pressure can spark a person's yearning for power, and the resilience of one's spirit determines how much they can endure.

From the current perspective, Yang Yixie perfectly meets his requirements for a test subject in every aspect.

And Yang Yixie also sensed that his efforts had ulterior motives; not only did he have no intention to evade, but he also used this peculiarity to boost his own strength.

He's a little madman…

Fang Zhiyan switched the training room's surveillance feed to the back end and turned to study the materials needed for the upcoming dissection class.

He had already sent people from the Field Operations Department to capture a batch of Aberrant Species, so the dissection class could start tomorrow, but compared to those…

Fang Zhiyan's sample requirements for the dissection class weren't limited to Aberrant Species.

After all, they'd been working together for so long; at first he was a bit hesitant, but now it seemed he no longer needed to worry so much.

Come to think of it, has Lu Mu been lost in the time‑space turbulence for too long?

According to intel, in recent days many people have been spat out by time‑space rifts, roughly seventy‑plus have emerged, and even several members of the Church ended up on the Dome's territory.

If some haven't emerged in these days, they must have been swept into the deeper parts of the turbulence; staying there for years wouldn't be surprising.

Besides, hasn't Lei Zhao of the Field Operations Department also had no news at all?

The Field Operations Department demanded that many people leave from him, and he always has to retrieve some of them.

His fingertips slid across the screen, pulling up a photo of a young girl.

She curled in the corner without a sense of security, tightly wrapping the red cloak around herself, as if only that coat could give her enough safety.

————————————————

"So have we reached an agreement?"

Hua Jian Lei asked with a bright smile; his gentlemanly, courteous demeanor made everyone around feel an increased fondness for him.

Of course, after all, because someone in our group was injured, that day's concert had to be cancelled.

Qi Ran also indeed had a fairly high favorable impression of Hua Jian Lei; unlike Xie Jingyan, for her a concert and a fan meeting are both important sources of income.

But Hua Jian Lei issued an invitation at this time; as a model for an emerging designer, she could not only receive a sizable appearance fee, but also boost her popularity indirectly.

That's really great; you've truly relieved our urgent need.

Hua Jian Lei laughed as she interacted with Qi Ran, and her words perfectly hit Qi Ran's needs.

Because things happened suddenly, we will also pay extra compensation, hoping this money will make your brother's treatment go more smoothly.