Chapter 31: Abnormals and Target Practice
Chapter 31: Abnormals and Target Practice
After warning Leon to be cautious of the "love taps" from his male colleagues, Black Sheep continued, "If he only wants to use adhesive tape to stick to physical objects, like a section of a broken railway track or a dried-up stream, with his physical strength, he could probably stick things together for several kilometers continuously.
But if it's a conceptual sticking, he might only be able to do it fifty or sixty times before he depletes his willpower first. And the stronger the willpower of the object being stuck, the more terrifying his consumption will be.
Like last year, when he tried to use adhesive tape to stick to the trust of those red-haired ladies to get a suitable task, he ended up causing himself to have a mental breakdown, his willpower unable to control his body, and he was bedridden for more than three months before he could get up."
After explaining the abilities of the adhesive tape, Black Sheep summarized, "In any case, the abilities of anomalies do have a limit, but they are not entirely fixed. Apart from the power of the anomaly itself, the higher the consumption your body and mind can bear, the stronger the effect the anomaly can produce.
For example, look at us. Don't underestimate us just because we are weak now. If you can afford the consumption, nurture us, and we can still stir up the fighting spirit of thousands of people in one go, directly starting a small-scale war! Do you understand?"
"I think I get it..."
After nodding thoughtfully, Leon furrowed his brows and asked, "But you still haven't answered my question. I'm not asking about the abilities of anomalies; I want to know what I should do to have the same physical fitness as others."
"Didn't we say this at the beginning? You can't rush this~"
Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, Black Sheep squinted his eyes contentedly and said, "Go on more missions, collect more anomalies, and then use the collected anomalies more. You will naturally be influenced and gradually transform from a human into an 'abnormal' existence. Moreover, the more powerful and extreme the anomaly, the faster your 'transformation' will be."
"Let's take us as an example. Previously, our transformation speed was on par with that broken apartment. Even if you use us for many years, you'll probably just have a slightly healthier physique than ordinary people.
But after you gave us so many good things, our transformation speed has increased significantly, probably three to four times faster than that apartment.
Moreover, if you're willing to take out a few scumbags and offer their sinful souls to us, this transformation speed can continue to rise! I estimate that within a year, your physical fitness will reach the level of that guy who plays with adhesive tape, Harry! What do you say? Are you interested in giving it a try?"
"..."
This guy is always trying to coax me into the water...
Hearing Black Sheep's relentless persuasion, Leon couldn't help but wrinkle his brows in speechlessness. But then, he unconsciously widened his eyes in surprise. Wait a minute! Did he just say that his previous transformation speed was the same as the Happiness Apartment, and now it's three to four times faster? Isn't that just 0.1 and 0.7? So this 'influence' and 'transformation' are actually the 'Corruption Value' of anomalies?
After discovering the true meaning of Corruption Value, Leon didn't have time to be happy before he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Black Sheep, who was taking a big drag from his cigarette.
If I remember correctly, the Corruption Value of the Red-Haired Chief's 'Memory Eraser' is 7! And your original Corruption Value is only 0.1, just one-seventieth of hers?
Wow, you've been bragging about being an incredible anomaly, and I actually believed you were so strong! But you're actually this weak?
...
This kid... Why is he suddenly looking at me like that?
After receiving Leon's gaze, which was two parts speechless and three parts shocked, with five parts of disdain, Black Sheep couldn't help but shiver. He immediately felt a sense of unease in his heart.
Umm... It shouldn't be.
The specific transformation speed of each anomaly is only known to those who have used the anomaly. Although the red-haired lady has also used us, she's so strong that she probably can't feel our transformation speed at all, nor would she tell him about it.
Hmm! He won't know! He definitely won't know!
"Ahem!"
Although Black Sheep felt that Leon wouldn't be able to discover the problem, he couldn't help but clear his throat and change the topic, as Leon's gaze was making him a bit nervous. "Anyway, although collecting more anomalies can make you stronger faster, don't go too crazy.
Not all anomalies are as easy to deal with as us. Many anomalies demand a shocking price! For example, Senior Emma! Her immortality is strong, but do you know what she paid for it?"
Senior Emma...
After hearing Black Sheep's question, Leon's expression changed slightly.
He had indeed been curious about Senior Emma's immortality for a long time. However, she seemed to have seen the files in the Chief's hands and knew that his ability was to obtain intelligence through touch, so she had been avoiding physical contact with him.
And yet, she had been so considerate towards him, saving his sister and even giving him a gun. Although he was curious, he had to be more discreet and not pry into her personal matters... But in the end, he still wanted to know a little more.
Hehe, what a little virgin! When you bumped into her in the corridor, your eyes were practically glued to her! We all knew you were interested in her!
Seeing the uncontainable curiosity in Leon's eyes, the Black Sheep couldn't help but chuckle, swallowing the seven or eight cigarette butts that were burning his lips. He chewed on the still-smoldering butts and chuckled as he said:
"How about this? You go and kill some big bad bastard to vent your anger, and in the process, you can offer a sinful soul to us. Then, I'll tell you what Emma sacrificed~ How about it?"
"..."
"Hey? If you don't agree, then you don't agree. Why are you snatching my cigarette?
What? You dare to use your hands? Damn! You think I have no temper, huh? If you have the guts, come at me! Let's be fair, can we just nibble with our mouths? Damn it!"
...
"Bang!"
Looking at the target 500 meters away that had been blown apart, Leon's face didn't show the usual joy of hitting the target; instead, his expression became rather somber.
After dealing with the Black Sheep, who had not only caused trouble but also had the audacity to talk back, Leon didn't go straight home. Instead, he carried his heavy sniper rifle to the neighboring Police Department. Using the Cleanup Bureau's credentials, he borrowed a secluded shooting range and started practicing with his shooting badge.
However, to improve his accuracy for future missions, Leon didn't focus solely on increasing the number of live-fire shots. Instead, he chose targets at the maximum effective range and trained his shooting skills with each shot, but...
His accuracy was quite touching.
Facing the fixed target 500 meters away, even with the accumulated accuracy bonus from his [Materialist Soul], Leon still needed an average of four to five shots to hit the target once. Out of ten shots, he would miss the target seven to eight times.
It seemed that the shot he landed at the hospital was indeed a matter of luck. Moreover, Senior Emma had adjusted the gun's sights beforehand. His actual shooting skills were still those of a novice.
Leon shook his head and then blew the whistle in his mouth forcefully. He picked up the small red flag beside him and waved it towards the shooting range manager.
Shooting at the maximum range of 500 meters had already exceeded his current capabilities. In actual missions, such accuracy would have little practical significance. Therefore, instead of pursuing the farthest distance for damage, it would be more practical to reduce the distance to around 300 meters and quickly develop shooting skills with more practical value.
Hehe, it seemed he had changed targets.
Hearing the whistle, the manager looked over and saw the small red flag in Leon's hand, indicating a 300-meter target. The manager raised an eyebrow and turned to his colleague beside him. The two of them almost simultaneously smiled and exchanged knowing glances.
This young man had just come in with a gun, demanding to shoot at the 500-meter target. They had advised him to start with targets at half the maximum range.
After all, the drop of the bullet from the shooting nails became harder to predict as the distance increased. Sometimes, the bullet would even roll horizontally in mid-air, making it extremely challenging to predict the landing point.
Therefore, the difficulty of the full-range target at 500 meters was much higher than that of the 250-meter half-range targets. For someone like him, who hadn't handled a gun much, the half-range targets were more than sufficient.
However, despite his young age, he had already reached the peak of the Associate Staff Position and could even touch the ass of the Clerk Staff Position. His pride was probably sky-high, and he didn't bother listening to the advice of the two shooting range managers.
Ignoring their well-intentioned suggestions, he insisted on trying to shoot at the 500-meter target to see how far he could shoot. But after realizing he couldn't hit the target no matter what, he finally agreed to change the target, right? Guns are fair; they won't favor you just because you have a good father!
The manager in charge of changing targets chuckled and pulled the control lever on the console, slowly raising the 300-meter half-range target while lowering and retracting the 500-meter full-range target.
Just as the other manager was about to leave his seat to change the target paper, he was stopped by Leon, who grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh? What did you say? Hey, don't pull me! I need to change the target!"
"Why change the target?"
The manager in charge of the control lever chuckled and lifted the other manager's ear protector slightly. Amidst the dense gunfire in the shooting range, he shouted:
"Sit down and rest! That gun he brought has an effective range of around 470 meters. Shooting at a 500-meter target is considered long-range shooting. If he can hit it, that's a miracle!
Although we do have some who can shoot long-range targets in our department, they are mostly old hands who have been shooting for nearly twenty years. Look at that kid; he's probably only sixteen or seventeen. How could he possibly hit a long-range target?
Could it be that he started handling guns in the womb?"
"Hahaha, that's true, so I'll take a little more rest~"
...
Unaware of the reason for his low hit rate, it wasn't due to his poor shooting skills, but rather the limitations of the gun's range. Leon remained prone, firing shot after shot, racking up his shooting count on the Shooting Badge.
After adjusting the target to 300 meters, his accuracy indeed increased significantly. Not only did he stop missing, but every shot hit the critical areas of the humanoid paper target. Out of every twenty or so shots, only one would slightly deviate from the target.
By the time the sun began to set in the west, Leon, who could fire two nails per minute on average, finally completed 200 live-fire shots, upgrading his Shooting Badge from Black Iron to Bronze.
[Shooter: Although your time with firearms is not long, your exceptional talent and rigorous training have made you a qualified shooter.]
[Equip Effect: Through extensive practice, you have become familiar with the distribution rules of nail drop points. When consciously adjusting your aim, your shooting accuracy will significantly improve.]
[Advanced Route: Complete 5,000 live-fire shots or 30,000 simulated triggers. This badge will automatically advance to the Silver Badge "Shooting Maestro" upon completion. Current progress: 0/5000, 0/30000]
[Hidden Trait (No Need to Equip): As a firearms enthusiast, your shooting stability will slightly increase when using a familiar gun.]
To further improve, would he need to fire another five thousand shots?
After reading the badge system's prompt, Leon estimated his shooting speed and realized that it would take him around forty hours to carefully fire all five thousand rounds.
If the subsequent requirements for advancing from Silver to Gold followed the same proportional increase of 200-5000, the time required would likely exceed a thousand hours.
While practicing diligently, shot by shot, could improve his fundamentals, it probably wouldn't be as effective as the boost from a high-level badge, so... should he try to find a shortcut?
When the thought came, he acted on it!
With the sole intention of leveling up the badge, Leon, unlike his usual self who would hold his breath and focus, simply attached an air tank and fired a shot after roughly aiming.
The switch from careful aiming to blind firing significantly increased his speed. Excluding the time for reloading and refilling air, he managed to fire over a dozen nails in a minute. And thanks to the accuracy provided by the Materialist Soul, even these blind shots hit the target five or six times.
However, when Leon stopped and checked the Shooting Badge's panel, he couldn't help but feel helpless. The "Proficiency" for advancing the badge hadn't increased at all, not even by half, despite the dozen or so nails he had just fired.
So, it seemed he had to practice diligently and meticulously...
Shaking his head, Leon abandoned the idea of taking shortcuts. He looked up at the sky, disassembled the large sniper rifle in his hands, bundled the parts into a large canvas bag, and left the shooting range with the bag.
Not long after he left, a female police officer in a black uniform and with a wheat-colored complexion quickly entered. After checking a few empty spots, she chose the recently vacated shooting range in the corner.
With a slightly weary expression, she seemed preoccupied. After greeting the two managers with a hoarse voice, she took her chosen firearm to the shooting position, waving a small yellow flag representing 500 meters.
As the distant target slowly rose, the female officer took a deep breath, biting her lip hard. She brought her eyes to the observation point behind the sights, her slender fingers resting steadily on the trigger...
Hmm?
Seeing the target in the sights with five or six large holes, the female officer frowned and waved a small black flag, summoning the range manager.
"This target hasn't been changed."
Pointing to the distant wooden target, the female officer said expressionlessly, "You can see the bullet holes made by the previous shooter."
"Oh, sorry, sorry!"
Hearing the female officer's words, the range manager quickly apologized and explained with a forced smile, "A stranger came earlier, looking quite inexperienced in his preparations. After firing a few shots, he voluntarily switched to the 250-meter target. We thought he hadn't hit the 500-meter target, so we didn't rush to replace it. Sorry."
"It's fine."
Waving her hand to indicate it didn't matter, the female officer narrowed her eyes to examine the target paper in the sights. Then, frowning, she asked coldly, "The holes on the target seem quite large. Were these made by shooting beyond the gun's effective range of 30 meters, causing the nails to spin out of control and roll sideways?"
"Recently, the department has emphasized controlled shooting to minimize unnecessary casualties. Why is someone still practicing this, which would undoubtedly be fatal if it hit the target?"
(End of Chapter)
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