Chapter 24  : Adapting

After dinner, Xia Ping’an once again came to the shooting range alone to practice.

A few days ago, when Xia Ping’an used the Manurhin MR98, each time he fired, his wrists and shoulders could clearly feel the powerful recoil of each shot. After continuously shooting 10 to 20 rounds, the Manurhin MR98 would become unwieldy.

The muzzle kinetic energy of the AK47 was only 2,000 joules. An ordinary pistol had around 500 joules of muzzle kinetic energy. However, the Manurhin MR98 that used 50-caliber Magnum rounds reached 3,100 joules. One could imagine the power of this revolver and its recoil.

However, tonight when Xia Ping’an was testing the Manurhin MR98, he suddenly felt that he could adapt to its recoil easily with just one hand.

***

In the shooting range...

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The muzzle of the Manurhin MR98 spat fire. Its cylinder revolved in a stable and rhythmic fashion. Xia Ping’an held the silver revolver firmly in his hand. The head of the humanoid target 50 meters away was continuously struck by bullets.

In the blink of an eye, Xia Ping’an easily shot four sets of 24 rounds. His wrists and arms no longer had any discomfort. Xia Ping’an was beginning to adapt to using this Manurhin MR98 in his hand. His shooting accuracy instantly leveled up. He began to display the revolver’s true capabilities.

Big Zhou was standing right behind Xia Ping’an. He was watching Xia Ping’an shoot as he nodded his head.

After his fourth set, Xia Ping’an stopped, ejecting the remaining shells in his cylinder and putting down the gun.

“Uncle Zhou, I finally understand why you chose this revolver for me. Once I am familiar with it, it is indeed impressive. It has both power and precision, and is much more powerful than ordinary guns.”

Right now, Xia Ping’an was beginning to like this Manurhin MR98. A characteristic of revolvers was that they displayed simple and subtle mechanical beauty. They were both retro and reliable during use. The feeling of the revolver cylinder rotating with each shot was something else. For people who liked machinery, using a revolver would be more intimate.

“It is good that you acknowledge that. I know what is best for the person,” Big Zhou replied with a smile. He took out a small box and passed it to Xia Ping’an. “Kid, this is for you.”

Xia Ping’an opened the box and discovered that there was a very ordinary-looking silver ring in it. There did not seem to be anything special about the ring. He looked at Big Zhou incredulously.

Why had Big Zhou given him a ring? What did it mean?

“Kid, what are you thinking about?” Big Zhou said as he glared at Xia Ping’an. “You just joined the National Order Council and aren’t familiar with some things yet. A summoner’s job is extremely dangerous. Summoners have been assassinated before. An assassin managed to do so by applying poison to a silver pin that a summoner used to prick their finger. You will be merging with boundary beads regularly in the future. You will also be doing so during special training. You can’t be too careful about the little things. Never prick your finger with silver pins or other things that you are not familiar with.”

As Big Zhou said this, he took the ring from the box and gently twisted the ring half a turn. On the surface of the ring, a small silver needle popped out. When he turned it the other way, the needle retracted back into the ring, revealing another black needle.

Big Zhou explained, “The silver needle in the ring is not poisoned and can be used to test for poisons. It can be used to retrieve your blood when you are merging with boundary beads. The black needle has an extremely powerful anesthetic. A mere prick will knock out an elephant. It can be used 10 times consecutively. I will leave this ring with you. If you finish using the anesthetic, come find me again. In the future, remember to never use silver needles that you are unfamiliar with to draw your blood.”

A black needle that had a powerful anesthetic... This ring was impressive. It felt like spy gear. It was inconspicuous on his finger, and yet it could incapacitate a person with a handshake.

Xia Ping’an accepted the ring and wore it on the index finger of his left hand. He found that it was quite suitable for him. He turned the ring on his finger, and the silver needle popped out.

“Thank you, Uncle Zhou!”

Big Zhou laughed and said, “You are welcome. I like you, Kid. You will definitely become a summoner. Work hard and just kill more monsters in the future!”

“Alright, once I kill off some monsters in the future, I will get some nice food and have a few drinks with Uncle Zhou!”

“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.”

***

When Xia Ping’an returned from the training ground to his own room, Room 963, he checked the time and found it was just past 9 p.m. At that time, Mo Yanshao and the others were already preparing to move out and ignite the light. As for Xia Ning who was at school, she should have just finished her night revision.

Xia Ping’an used his clairvoyance, and, as expected, he saw that Xia Ning had just walked out from the sketching classroom, chatting with two other female students. They were returning to their dormitories.

Xia Ping’an took out his phone and called Xia Ning.

“Hello, Brother...” Xia Ning’s voice came through the phone. She had a mischievous tone as she said, “You haven’t called me for the past few days. What’s the matter? Have you met the short-haired beauty yet? Do you want me to give you some pointers?”

“I do not need your pointers. Your Elder Brother is not that dumb yet,” Xia Ping’an replied with a laugh. Calling Xia Ning always put him at ease. “I just wanted to inform you that I have officially joined the National Order Council now. Consider it a job change. From now on, I am a public official in a government office.”

“That’s great!” Xia Ning cried out. “As a public official in a government office, your income will be stable, and it will be easier to apply for bank loans. Adding on the money that we saved up before this, you can consider buying a house. With a house, it will be more convenient for you to bring back a sister-in-law.”

“We will talk about this when I get back. The unit has some stuff this weekend, so I won’t be back yet.”

Tomorrow was Friday. Coincidentally, Xia Ping’an would be merging with the divine altar boundary bead starting tomorrow. He was still unsure how long it would take to merge with this second boundary bead. However, even if he succeeded in doing so, he still needed to stay here tomorrow night to give himself time to adapt.

“Ah, alright. Elder Brother, you should get to know your female colleagues better. It would be best if you all could spend some time together. If you need me to show up, I will come right away. I guarantee that I will not hold you back. Rest assured, I will play my role as sister-in-law well!”

Hearing Xia Ning promise this over the phone, Xia Ping’an felt that it was somewhat funny. Recalling the mission that Mo Yanshao and the others had been carrying out for the past few days, he could not help himself but warn her, “These past few days, it has not been very peaceful in Xianghe City. You should just stay at school. Don’t go back home on the weekends. It will be safer in school.”

“Alright, I will be careful. Elder Brother, you should also be careful. Sister-in-law has yet to be married into the family. Remember that the responsibility of passing down the family name of Xia still depends on you!” Xia Ning’s tone became more cautious. She knew that Xia Ping’an’s instructions were not baseless.

“Hmm.”

After hanging up, Xia Ping’an stood by the window of his room. He was still thinking of the shock and awe that the first divine fire boundary bead gave him.

Outside in the night sky, three helicopters were leaving headquarters just then. They were headed towards three different parts of Xianghe City. Mo Yanshao, Tu Polu, and the others had already gone to ignite the light.

Without exception, six summoners of the Special Forces Unit left to ignite the light, leaving Xia Ping’an alone in headquarters.

Early the next morning, Mo Yanshao, who had just returned to headquarters, sent a divine altar boundary bead to Xia Ping’an’s Room 963.