The First Part: Miao Village Mysteries" Chapter Three, Section Three

And so, I became a proud member of the People's Liberation Army. After a grueling month of basic training, our new recruits had a live ammunition shooting exercise (the only one we would have, with just two bullets per person). Due to our lack of preparation for the recoil of the Type 95 rifle and our inexperience with live ammunition, few of us managed to hit the targets at a distance of one hundred meters. Seeing the poor marksmanship of the new recruits, the division's staff officers shook their heads in disappointment. Our company commander was filled with embarrassment, and our faces turned red as we bowed our heads in shame.

"Shen La, step forward!" I was the last one to take my turn. Under the watchful eye of our platoon leader, I loaded two bullets into the magazine and aimed at the target. To be honest, I was feeling nervous. While my uncle held the position of deputy battalion commander, their unit was in the logistics corps, and they only had the opportunity for live firing exercises (with five bullets per person) twice a year. My only previous experience with firearms was when I visited my uncle, and he let me shoot his Type 95 rifle. Back then, I managed to hit the target, but it was probably only in the four or five-ring.

I adjusted my breathing, recalling the shooting techniques my uncle had taught me. I pressed my shoulder firmly against the stock of the rifle, ensuring a stable grip with both hands, and focused on aligning the front sight, rear sight, and target. I wrapped my index finger around the trigger, and with a "pop," I fired the shot. My shoulder stung from the recoil.

"Two rings!" the target scorer announced. I aimed for my second shot, and by now, the division staff officer had stood up, addressing our company commander, "That's enough. Today, I've seen enough. Your company has set a new record for our division: each recruit fired two bullets, and the combined score isn't even a hundred. Do you really think..."

"Pop!" I had already fired my second shot. After about half a minute, there was still no score announcement. The division staff officer frowned and asked, "Did you miss again?" The company commander's face was now quite pale.

"Report the score!" he commanded.

"Ten rings!" the scorer finally announced.

"Repeat that! How many rings?" The division staff officer couldn't believe his ears.

"Ten rings!"

"Bring the target over here!" The scorer rushed over with the target. After verifying that the bullet holes were genuine and not tampered with, the division staff officer looked at me and asked, "You just guessed, right?"

Before I could answer, our company commander intervened, "Change the target! Give him two more bullets."

Our company commander handed me the bullets personally and said, "Shoot just like you did before, for our new recruit company commander."

"Yes, sir!" I replied confidently, giving the division staff officer a pointed look.

I returned to my original position, took a deep breath, and regained the feeling I had when I fired my second shot. I stared at the target fifty meters away as it gradually enlarged in my sight.

During my second shot earlier, something unusual had happened. I was merely aiming at the target, trying my best to focus on the bullseye (although I couldn't see it clearly). As I continued aiming, I felt the target change. It was slowly expanding, becoming clearer, and the distance seemed to shorten, as if a target with concentric circles were standing right in front of me.

"Pop, pop!" I fired two more shots.

"Twenty rings!" The scorer didn't hesitate this time. He had initially thought he had been seeing things or miscounted.

"Give him two more bullets." This time, it was the division staff officer who spoke. He walked over to stand behind me, observing the finer details of my shooting. "Pop, pop!"

"Twenty rings!"

I had developed a taste for shooting perfect scores, and the division staff officer's attitude shifted. He first chuckled and said to our company commander, "I didn't expect your company to have such talented marksmen. Youngster, you may look young, but your shooting skills are exceptional."

"Sir, I didn't have any prior experience with shooting. Today was my first time using a rifle," I replied earnestly.

"That can't be! You shot ten rings each time on your first attempt? Who do you think you are, Houyi?" The division staff officer seemed skeptical, believing that I had hidden my shooting skills when joining the army.

I also felt wronged, thinking, why would I lie about such a thing? Eventually, our company commander had someone retrieve my file from the company's records, which indeed confirmed that I had no previous experience with shooting. However, the division staff officer still found it hard to believe, and even our company commander suspected that I had concealed my shooting skills when enlisting.