"Try it out?" Gu Huai asked.
Qi Yue came back to her senses from a momentary daze, "Okay, let's begin."
Gu Huai moved back behind her and gave all the equipment a final check, while saying, "Is the stake high enough?"
Qi Yue, who was concentrating on the target, paused, momentarily not grasping Gu Huai's meaning, "Ah... should be enough..."
A faint smile curled up at the corners of Gu Huai's mouth, carrying an unwittingly seductive charm, "Mhm, good luck."
"Oh..." Qi Yue nodded her head.
In fact, she had no confidence at all.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she last tried shooting...
In her dreams, she had picked up a gun countless times, yet not once had she actually fired a bullet.
She had not expected that the next time she would pick up a gun and fire a bullet would be under such circumstances.
The girls nearby were somewhat bored, standing around in groups of threes and twos, gossiping about Ye Linling and Gu Huai.
Ye Linling had already walked up to Gu Huai and started chatting, "Gu Huai, I heard the newly opened hot pot restaurant in the city center is quite good... if you don't want to go too far, the third floor of the cafeteria has a new Japanese restaurant that's also receiving good reviews..."
Gu Huai didn't show any sign he had heard Ye Linling's words; he was watching Qi Yue and the gun in her hand, the air around him growing gradually cooler, his expression like mountains shrouded in mist, unfathomable.
Qi Yue closed her eyes for a moment, then raised her hand.
Her mind was filled with countless tumultuous and fragmented images, the gun in her hand felt as though it had never been put down.
"Can I...try a shot first?" Qi Yue picked up the gun again and put it down, then asked.
Ye Linling looked up impatiently, "Whatever you want, just hurry up, it's almost dark."
Qi Yue: "Mhm."
Just as Ye Linling's urging voice fell.
The next second, the gun in her hand was raised again.
With a "bang"—
The bullet left the barrel, spinning, cutting through the air, heading towards the target...
Amidst the gunshot, everyone was jolted into consciously looking towards the target paper.
This shooting range was automated for scoring, and within a few seconds, the score appeared on the display—
10.9 points!
A perfect score, 10.9 points!
The people who were just chatting moments ago were now standing there, dumbfounded, staring at the score on the display as if seeing a ghost.
It was Song Qiuqiu's scream that finally broke the silence after who knows how long.
"Ah ah ah—Yue Bao! Yue Bao, you scored a perfect! 10.9 points! 10.9 points ahhhh!"
Song Qiuqiu wrapped her arms around Qi Yue excitedly.
Qi Yue was still somewhat dazed, staring at the score she had shot, seemingly unable to snap back to reality.
At this moment, deep within her soul, it was as if a fire had reignited from the ashes.
A bitter smile crept onto Qi Yue's lips, barely noticeable. She thought she had already forgotten, yet she didn't realize that her muscle memory had never faded...
"What she said was just for a trial, not the official attempt, it doesn't count, right!" The girl in a yellow dress next to Ye Linling spoke as if she had a close relationship with her.
"Yeah, it doesn't count, right! Since it was just a trial, we should redo it anyway..." Other girls also spoke in defense of Ye Linling.
While everyone was talking all at once.
Bang—
Another gunshot sounded.
Qi Yue had already taken the second shot.
A "ding" indicated the score.
The display showed Qi Yue's score for the second shot.
Second shot: 10.9 points.
Another perfect score.
The entire range was silent enough to hear a pin drop.