The next morning, Jian woke up early and ran to the school archery training room. The club members had already come together, and they were doing basic stretches. Panting, he quickly joined them.
"You're late, newbie."
"Sorry. I woke up late." He sheepishly grinned at him.
To be honest, he got up early, took a bath, made breakfast in the small room, and packed lunch all by himself. His grandpa was still asleep when he left. After all, the man worked late at night, and he did not want to disturb his sleep.
"Be on time next time." The boy next to him patted his back. "Come on, we'll do basic practice for half an hour, and I'll teach you how to draw a bow."
Jian happily grinned at him. "Yes!"
Unknown to him, a few shadowy figures watched all of this. A man in a three-piece suit watched the boy run around the field with a cold look in his eyes. "How did he get his injuries?"
"It was his grandmother who abused him. He left home and is now living with his grandfather."
The stoic man coldly glanced back. "Where?"
"A construction site."
He scoffed. "This one doesn't know how to stay patient or fight back." He had already done a deep research on both boys, and according to the review, he was more inclined toward Bian than Jian.
Weirdly, he felt a sense of pity looking at the bruised boy running around the field.
"What about Bian?"
"He was well cared for by his grandmother."
"So only this one was bullied?"
The bodyguard nodded. "He is said to have a rebellious streak. But according to his neighbors, Jian is very quiet and calm. The reports we find on him are contradictory."
Wen nodded coldly. "Observe. By the end of the week, the Wen family must have an heir." Saying so, the man coldly left the school premises while the bodyguard stayed behind to observe.
Jian, unaware of this, happily chatted with his new teammates as they practiced his bow skills. His seniors initially gave him a beginner longbow, but watching him draw the bow with ease, they gave him a compound bow.
"This bow is harder to draw. You don't have to strain yourself. Slowly try to draw the bow and bring it to your chin. Repeat again and again. I'll teach you to release tomorrow. Oh, be careful—do not release the string. It can leave a mean bruise on your arm." The senior patted his back and went to the practice rink.
While the rest of them practiced shots, he was standing in the corner, drawing the bow again and again. Initially, the string was too tight, making it harder to draw. But as he slowly practiced, he was able to bring the string up to his chin.
Jian grinned. "I have to learn to make arrows. I'll have to find tutorials online..."
The alien invasion will take the world by storm. They are not impervious to human weapons, but only when their weakness, aka their neck, is hit will they be killed. Or else it's harder to deal with them. Those crafty creatures developed a way to protect their neck. They simply wrap one of their tentacles around their neck at all times, shielding it.
"A long arrow can easily penetrate the tentacle for sure..." Jian happily continued his practice.
The rest of the day went on as usual.
But one strange thing was he noticed Bian acting smug all day. After he left home and after they had their fight, he had not seen that smug look on his face for a long time.
"What is he thinking? This bastard must have some trick up his sleeve."
Jian became cautious. As he was leaving school, he quietly picked up a rock and stuffed it in his sleeve.
"Just in case... That stupid fucker might try something..."
He walked down the familiar street back to the construction site. As he was nearing the foresty side, he felt a movement behind him.
"Ah, as I had guessed, that bastard really was up to something." He quickly took out the rock from his sleeve and clenched it in his hand.
Jian walked as if he didn't notice.
The air whooshed behind him.
He quickly dodged and slammed the rock right onto the person's face.
"Ughhh..." The man stumbled back, clutching his face. "Fuck!" he spat out blood.
Three men surrounded him.
Jian calmly clenched the bag close. "Bian, such a coward..." he mumbled with a smile.
The man that got a fist to his face glared at him intensely. "Don't you dare say that about my kitten," he rushed at him.