A Visit to the Songhu Garrison Command (Part 2)

Hearing that soldiers and reporters were having a shooting competition, other journalists, like sharks smelling blood, quickly gathered in Zone Seven. The officers, who loved a good spectacle, even brought their own teams to watch. Lu Xian also diligently brought chairs for his older brother beforehand.

The rain has decreased significantly recently, especially today with a cloudless sky that makes the blue sky appear even clearer, though it's also quite muggy. Shan Hai, feeling drowsy from the sun, plopped down on the ground, clutching his collar with his left hand and fanning himself with his hat with his right.

Sweat was pouring down Lu Xian's forehead, but perhaps out of pride, he didn't take off his military cap to fan himself; instead, he silently took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. The targets were all set up, and they were just waiting for the two to enter.

As if on cue, He Gao and his companion entered Area Seven side by side.

Looking around, Qingcheng found that the entire Area Seven was completely surrounded. As expected, the Chinese are notoriously fond of watching a spectacle. She wondered what Commander Xiong would think. There were many officers outside, and she had a feeling that Comrade Mudan was among the onlookers. She hoped he could find the rendezvous token.

Another contestant, Shan Hai, twirled his pistol, looking disdainfully at the onlookers, and defiantly made a shooting gesture towards them. The reporter quickly pressed the shutter to record this moment.

"Check the magazines, prepare to fire," Lu Xian shouted the command as both contestants took their positions.

“3……2……1……”

"Bang bang bang..." The gunshots rang out and the target fell. The 10-meter target was far too easy for Shan Hai, it was like eating tofu. The flag bearer was calling out the ring numbers with flag signals, and he got 10 rings every time.

This was all within Gao Junxiao's expectations. His attention was entirely on He Qingcheng. Although she was holding the gun with both hands, her overall stability was better than he had imagined. You have to know that she was holding a military-grade large-caliber pistol, which has considerable recoil. She had obviously received some training. However, her accuracy was somewhat unsatisfactory, mostly between 6 and 9 rings.

"Little girl, you're pretty good among girls. It's a pity, you should train for another ten years." Shan Hai said smugly to Qing Cheng.

"Whatever makes you happy." Qingcheng spread her hands and turned to Gao Junxiao, saying, "Supervisor Gao, hurry up and hold the next event. I need to gather at 11 o'clock."

"It's alright. The people who brought you are watching the show too. I don't think Section Chief Li and your colleagues will mind being a little late." Gao Junxiao changed to a more comfortable sitting position. He looked at Qingcheng with great interest, projecting her pretty figure into his mind frame by frame.

Who knows when I'll get to see her dashing side again? Seeing her a little longer is a bonus. Suddenly, Qingcheng glared at him, and Gao Junxiao immediately gestured for her to sit down, demonstrating his gentlemanly manners through his actions.

The sun slowly climbed overhead, and everyone had to raise their hands to shield their eyes in order to see it clearly. Some clever people even hid behind tall people and fanned themselves with notebooks. From a distance, the entire Area 7 looked like a thick dam.

More and more people gathered around, and the less they could see, the more they craned their necks to look. Shan Hai picked at his ear and yawned boredly. Finally, the flag bearer in the distance signaled that the target was ready.

The half-dead Shan Hai suddenly perked up, casually wiping the sweat from his palms with his coat and tossing it aside. Meanwhile, Qing Cheng, who had been occupying Gao Junxiao's seat since earlier, was wearing his sunglasses and drinking the chilled plum juice that Gao Junxiao had asked the guards to buy for him.

If it weren't for the large crowd of onlookers, she might have taken her "no-holds-barred" attitude to the extreme. Hearing the preparations, Qingcheng lazily stood up, took the pistol from Gao Junxiao, and returned his sunglasses to him.

Before leaving, Gao Junxiao couldn't help but remind her, "Just do your best in the 50 meters." Qingcheng replied with a perfunctory "Okay," and as soon as she turned around, a faint, sly smile appeared on her face.

The same procedure, the same command from Lu Xian, the same shooting stance, the difference was that Qingcheng quietly switched the gun to her left hand, put her right hand on her hip, spread her legs in a V-shape, and slowly shifted her center of gravity backward and downward.

"Bang bang bang..." The bronze bullets pierced the air and flew towards their target.

The soldiers present were very familiar with this movement; it was the standard action they performed every day during shooting training, except the hand was reversed. This movement is particularly suitable for high-precision long-range shooting, but because one hand is suspended in the air, the arm shakes more violently. Coupled with uncertain factors such as wind direction, hitting the target within 50 meters is indeed quite difficult.

While everyone was whispering, Gao Junxiao held up his binoculars and looked at the target in the distance. After seeing the result, he silently put down his binoculars, his dark and bright pupils flashing with approval. She was even better than he had imagined. She must have been holding back her strength in the previous round.

Gao Junxiao scrutinized the beautiful figure in front of him with a probing gaze. Qingcheng seemed to sense the burning gaze behind her, turned around and winked at him triumphantly. Her fair skin was flushed red from the sun, making her look quite adorable.

The final result was that Qingcheng had 3 more rings than Shanhai, which immediately made the crowd lively. Whether they knew each other or not, they chatted about it. Ms. He was amazing.

Only Qingcheng knew in her heart that there were no god-like sharpshooters, only tedious and boring repetitive training, nothing more than practice makes perfect. To help her stabilize her one-handed shooting posture, Wang Renyong would hang a brick three inches from the muzzle of the gun. The weight of the gun plus the weight of the brick made this a one-hour task, which caused her hands to shake so badly the next day that she couldn't even hold a pen.

In order not to affect her normal work the next day, she asked Lao Wang to train her left hand exclusively. Fortunately, her left hand has always been stronger than her right hand since she was a child. Of course, she also trained her right hand, but the training intensity was not as high as her left hand.

"Young lady, who is your teacher?" Shan Hai changed his frivolous expression and solemnly clasped his hands in a salute to Qing Cheng.

"Master... ask Inspector Gao." Kiyosumi nodded in return, giving a vague reply.

These words directly targeted Gao Junxiao, and sure enough, Shan Hai started pestering Gao Junxiao with questions, only to be dismissed with a few nonchalant remarks. Qingcheng vaguely heard something about the "Infantry Drill Manual," something that any new recruit could easily learn, and so on.

After Shan Hai left Gao Junxiao with a vacant look in his eyes, Qing Cheng slowly walked up to him and returned his sidearm to him. Gao Junxiao casually put the gun back in its case and asked curiously, "What exactly did you say to Lei Shan Hai?"

"It's nothing. He probably thought you taught me." Kiyosumi took the plum juice from the guard and continued drinking it.

"I wouldn't dare say that. It seems your hired teacher is indeed very good at teaching. It must have been quite a struggle to develop your left hand like this." Gao Junxiao's eyes were smiling, but his words carried a different meaning.

"Ah Xiao, do you actually want to shave your head, or... are you actually testing me?" Qingcheng raised an eyebrow and gave her boyfriend a playful smile.

"A little bit, I suppose. I only knew you'd been training with firearms recently, but I didn't know you were so outstanding. I was quite surprised to see your impressive appearance today," Gao Junxiao said frankly, appearing completely innocent.

"Then do I have to report to you every time I learn a new skill?" Kiyosumi asked, tilting her head.

"No need, it's a good thing to love learning. If you want to learn this, you don't actually need to spend money to find a teacher, just find me. I'm definitely better than your teacher." Gao Junxiao said while ruffling Qingcheng's head, which Qingcheng slapped away in disgust. He then took out his powder box and spent a long time fixing his hair.

"How could I dare trouble Inspector Gao? Just because I'm capable doesn't mean I can teach others. It's more reassuring to spend money. Anyway, I'll give my all in everything I do," Kiyosumi declared firmly, raising her chin slightly.

"Alright, keep it up, I'll show you something good next time." Gao Junxiao's smile remained unchanged as he whispered a few words to Lu Xian. Lu Xian frowned, looking troubled, but under Gao Junxiao's insistence, he reluctantly squeezed through the gaps in the crowd.

It's already 11:00, but everyone is still in high spirits and their enthusiasm hasn't waned. Qingcheng had previously left her camera with Section Chief Li, hoping he could take some photos for her. He generously agreed that the "military and civilians enjoying themselves together" was an excellent publicity point, and he would definitely help with the photos. He also hoped that Ms. He would polish the accompanying text after she got back.

Kiyosumi readily agreed; she was quite adept at polishing things up. However, she still needed to consider how to handle the final round—whether to win or lose.

A sudden commotion broke out in the crowd. It turned out that Lu Xian was carrying two long black leather suitcases in each hand, sweating profusely as he squeezed out of the crowd and carefully put the suitcases down. However, a thick layer of dust was still kicked up on the ground, indicating that they were quite heavy.

Everyone craned their necks, staring intently at the two suitcases, as if trying to see a hole in them. Even Qingcheng had no idea what Gao Junxiao was up to; judging from Lu Xian's cautious manner, it probably wasn't some high-end new product.

Gao Junxiao said "thank you for your hard work" to Lu Xian, and quickly opened a box. The moment Shan Hai saw the rifle, his eyes lit up. He bent over and wanted to touch it, but was deterred by Lu Xian's murderous look.

Qingcheng strolled over to Gao Junxiao with her hands behind her back. Inside the box lay a beautifully designed rifle, a style she had never seen before, not even in pictures.

The semi-automatic Mauser rifle that Old Wang used for her practice was almost up to her chest when it was upright. This rifle was only two-thirds the length of a Mauser; it was actually a carbine, but it had a very stylish design and a double trigger. It would definitely look great in photos.

Qingcheng examined the gun body more closely. The letters "BRON" were stamped on the gun body. Qingcheng had learned about this. It was an abbreviation for the Czech Brno State Arms Factory. So it was an imported product. No wonder Lu Xian was reluctant to take it out.

Wow, Gao Junxiao spared no expense in order to tame the wild horse that is Shan Hai.

"Supervisor Gao, you don't mean for us to use this for the competition, do you? But none of us have ever seen this thing before, let alone used it." Shan Hai showed a troubled expression for the first time.

"That's precisely because none of us have used it before, so the competition is fair." Qingcheng whispered to Gao Junxiao, "I'll borrow it later to pose for some photos, it'll look pretty good."

“It’s not just for show.” Gao Junxiao picked up a rifle and explained to the two of them, “It’s a Czech-made ZH-29 semi-automatic rifle, with a caliber of 7.92x57mm and a typical capacity of 5-10 rounds. It’s compatible with Mauser magazines or ZB-26 and ZB-33. Its advantages are that it’s lightweight and has high shooting accuracy.”

The overly technical jargon left Caogen Shanhai, who had only ever used bolt-action rifles, completely bewildered. What village was Czechoslovakia? Was it any better than the Hanyang rifle? What was this comparison between the Type 26 and the Type 26? What was the difference between semi-automatic and bolt-action rifles? But he did understand one thing: this thing was definitely ridiculously expensive.

Then Gao Junxiao explained how to use it to the two of them on the spot, and then fired the gun with lightning speed, demonstrating how to shoot at a moving target. When the target exploded in the air, it drew a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience behind.

Shooting at moving targets sounds simple, but it's difficult in practice. It requires quick eyes and hands, as well as anticipation, and luck still plays a part in actual combat. Kiyosumi experimentally raised the gun. She was impressed by how much lighter it was compared to the Mauser, and the smooth feel of pulling the trigger made it a truly good gun. However, the recoil was a bit too strong, making her shoulder go numb.

"Don't press too hard, relax, or you'll get bruises on your shoulders after the competition." Gao Junxiao gently turned her shoulders to help her adjust her shooting posture.

This reminded Qingcheng of her previous training under Lao Wang. First, she would run 10 kilometers with sandbags tied to her, and then find a gun by feel in some corner of the ship. What was most infuriating was that he withheld her bullets. In the end, you would find that there were more targets than bullets, appearing in unpredictable directions and in unpredictable numbers. Targets could appear from any angle.

Wang Renyong called it real combat, saying that anything can happen. If the situation is not good, you shouldn't fight head-on. Survival is the priority, so you should run away. If all else fails, you can use the butt of your rifle to strike the enemy's head, blah blah blah... It's so annoying!

The target drew a graceful parabola in the air, but in Qingcheng's eyes, it seemed to transform into Old Wang's grinning head. "Bang, bang, bang!" Old Wang's head exploded into colorful fireworks with the bullets. Awesome!

Seeing that Qingcheng fired three shots in quick succession and still handled it so skillfully, Shan Hai also picked up his gun and instinctively tried to pull the bolt, but he couldn't find anything. Somewhat embarrassed, he pulled the safety, and with a crisp "click," the bullet was quickly ejected from the chamber by the piston after he pulled the trigger.

However, Shan Hai hadn't considered the recoil of the gun, and was knocked off course by the butt of the gun, failing to hit the target.

The initial setback left Shan Hai somewhat disheartened. Initially, he underestimated the recoil of this gun; it was actually less than that of a manual bolt-action rifle. He had been deceived by its exquisite appearance. After firing several more shots, he found the gun increasingly easy to handle.

With each gunshot, Lu Xian unconsciously clutched his chest, his face a picture of utter reluctance. It was as if what was being fired wasn't a bullet, but a wad of silver.

Qingcheng patted Lu Xian on the shoulder to calm him down. Gao Junxiao didn't care, so why was he in such a hurry? Lu Xian could only complain to Qingcheng that Commander Xiong had only managed to get three guns in total. He gave his older brother one with an original magazine, and then he had to borrow another one from Brigade Commander Cao to make a pair. But he had to return double the original magazines he borrowed.

Haha, Qingcheng thinks that Lieutenant Lu is kind of cute. This is a one-time investment, but it can continue to yield benefits in the future. Gao Junxiao has made a huge profit.

Finally, after both of them finished shooting, while the guards went to check the target, Qingcheng quickly signaled to Section Chief Li to take some solo photos. Later, he even pulled Shanhai along to take some photos as well.

At first, Shan Hai was quite pleased with himself as he posed with Qing Cheng. But as the flashes became more and more intense, he was completely unprepared for this kind of situation. He instinctively cursed, slung his gun over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.

Lu Xian, who had been waiting for a long time, reported the result of the match to everyone: 4-4, a draw. Qingcheng wasn't too surprised by this result and immediately winked at Gao Junxiao, who blinked to indicate that he understood.

He nimbly circled around to stand in front of Shan Hai, and said with a smile, "You know your shortcomings now. Miss He, how long have you been practicing shooting?"

Kiyosumi also came up from behind and said in a cooperative tone, "A few months, not that long."

The two of them, working together, made Shan Hai feel ashamed. Shan Hai carefully wiped the gun with his sleeve and reluctantly returned it. Gao Junxiao took the gun and said at the right moment, "When you get all the top marks in knowledge and theory, I'll consider getting you this gun."

The moment the pie was drawn, Shan Hai's confidence was instantly ignited. A blush appeared on his dark face, and he nodded happily.

Regardless of whether Qingcheng wins or loses, Gao Junxiao has a way to trap Shanhai, and Qingcheng is willing to be his accomplice. It's just that the two of them reached an agreement on the small playground earlier: if Qingcheng loses, Gao Junxiao has to give her exclusive reporting rights to the bandit suppression; if she wins, Gao Junxiao has to agree to accompany him to a place, and she can decide the time and place.

A gentleman's word is his bond, but there was no agreement before the draw. Gao Junxiao wanted to go find Qingcheng again, but the reporters had already left and gone to lunch with Section Chief Li.

"I'll go find her later." When Gao Junxiao inspected the borrowed ZH-29, the unusual weight caught his attention. He gently pulled out the magazine, and there were two bullets quietly inside.

Gao Junxiao was amused by Qingcheng's actions. She hadn't even used up all her bullets. It turned out she was really just pretending to be weak while actually being strong. What a little fox!

The spring breeze in April is most pleasant. Gao Junxiao found He Qingcheng, who was strolling alone after dinner, in the garden reserved for receiving guests: "Miss He, are you full? Would you like to discuss with me what you want me to do if we draw?"

Qingcheng stood amidst the vermilion and emerald green, smiling and indicating that she didn't care; she just wanted exclusive reporting rights for the bandit suppression team. The more indifferent she seemed, the more Gao Junxiao wanted to make it clear to her that a good man is one who takes responsibility after taking advantage of someone.

Qingcheng didn't explicitly refuse his insistence; her eyes darted around, as if she was plotting something mischievous. She then bombarded him with questions about Lei Shanhai, such as whether he was literate and whether the woman who stormed the mountain was his older sister.

At first, Gao Junxiao answered her patiently, but after a while, he felt uneasy and asked impatiently, "Why do you keep bringing up mountains and seas?"

"Don't be jealous yet, how about we team up?" Kiyosumi suggested with a bright smile.

"Who's jealous? Why would I bother arguing with a brat? Who do you think you are?" Gao Junxiao's voice rose eight hundred degrees. He Qingcheng actually compared him to that little brat; it was too hurtful to his pride.

"No, no, I was just joking, don't get excited." Qingcheng quickly rubbed his chest. "Since you want Xiaoshanhai to work for you, just making empty promises won't work. You need to know him inside and out to better control him, don't you think?"

"Oh, let's dig into his past. Editor He, what's your plan?" Gao Junxiao glanced at Qingcheng, who was eagerly awaiting her thoughts.

"If your own sister were kidnapped and taken up the mountain, would you still be able to train here in peace?" Kiyosumi asked probingly.

"My sister? I'll just bring a stool down the mountain and buy a bag of melon seeds, then sit and watch my brother-in-law level the mountain," Gao Junxiao said, half-jokingly.

"I'm not joking with you." Kiyosumi began to explain her reasoning.

Shan Hai was most likely born into a well-off or even wealthy family and received his early education in a private school. He had an older sister, not his senior sister from the mountain. When she was about 6 to 10 years old, her family suffered a sudden change, and she was adopted by her master and became a traveling performer. Later, in order to save her senior sister, she went undercover in a bandit's den.

Gao Junxiao thought about it and realized it was possible, but the scope of the investigation was still quite large. However, it was much better than before. With the help of Lei Huozi's activity area, at least there was a target to investigate in Xuzhou.

"May I ask, Editor He, you've helped me so much, what benefits do you get in return?" Gao Junxiao asked suspiciously.

"Having such compelling material right in front of us and not exploring it is like a gourmet seeing a once-in-a-century delicacy but not taking a bite—it's a real waste!" Qingcheng said passionately, clenching her little fist. "Waste is a sin against heaven!"

Her bright and gracefully curved eyebrows, combined with her lively black pupils, made her face look cute and comfortable. Gao Junxiao pinched her plump little face, and as he had imagined, it was soft and smooth. He couldn't help but pinch it a few more times.

"Let go! You're addicted to this, aren't you?!" Kiyosumi resisted angrily, like a frightened little fox with its fur standing on end.

"I hate wasting things, and I don't want to be punished by heaven." Gao Junxiao gently buried Qingcheng's head in his chest, silently telling himself, "I only want to be responsible for you."

"Don't give me that, you're just being nosy." Qingcheng instinctively pushed Gao Junxiao away, but as soon as they separated, they were hooked by something.

Gao Junxiao looked down and found that Qingcheng's pocket watch chain was caught on his clasp. He watched Qingcheng trying to untangle it and his smile widened: "Are you reluctant to part with me? Even the chain has to be caught on me."

"Get lost! You were the one who started this mess by bothering me first," Kiyosumi retorted defiantly.

"Is your pocket watch made of real gold? The chain broke, so I'll get you a new gold chain later," Gao Junxiao teased, pulling out her pocket watch without further ado.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. They turned around and saw Section Chief Li standing awkwardly in the alley. Section Chief Li coughed a few more times before saying, "Well, it's almost time. We're going to visit the office building this afternoon. I'll wait for you at the entrance."

Qingcheng finally unchained the watch, waved to Section Chief Li to indicate that she would be there soon, and after taking back her pocket watch, she said fiercely to Gao Junxiao, "Go to work and don't interfere with my work."

"Hey, I'll see you in my office later. Editor He, you're welcome to visit my office!" Gao Junxiao called out to Qingcheng's retreating figure. Oh, right, I need to go back and tidy up my desk first.

Strands of multicolored sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting golden, dazzling patches of light on the ground, swaying in the breeze. Inside the telephone booth, Qingcheng rubbed her aching calves. She'd been searching high and low all day, but the contact hadn't shown up; it seemed the rendezvous had failed.

Just then, a junior staff member from the publicity department called her name and asked her to come in for a search of her belongings. Kiyosumi cooperated and handed over her camera, notebook, and other miscellaneous items, none of which were worth checking.

Suddenly, the junior officer pointed to the gold chain peeking out of her pocket and asked what it was. Qingcheng immediately cooperated by taking out a pocket watch and placing it on the table. The junior officer examined it but found nothing unusual. Just as he was about to return it to her, Section Chief Li came out from the inner room, snatched it from the junior officer's hand, and asked suspiciously, "Miss He, why are you wearing a pocket watch in addition to a wristwatch?"

He Qingcheng smiled and calmly explained, "Then why would a young lady wear both earrings and a necklace? They're just accessories to match the outfit."

Section Chief Li seemed not to be so easily fooled, and continued to press, holding the pocket watch, "This is a men's pocket watch, was it a gift from some important person?"

"Section Chief Li, it's just a pocket watch. What's this about men's or women's? I bought it because I like it. If you're worried, you can take it apart right now and see how it differs from the ones outside," Qingcheng said, seemingly lost in thought.

Section Chief Li's gaze swept back and forth between the pocket watch and Qingcheng's face. He then asked her to wait a moment while he took it inside to examine it more closely. Qingcheng readily agreed.

A moment later, Section Chief Li came out of the room with his usual kind smile back. He returned the pocket watch to her and then, as usual, flipped through the notebook. He had taken most of the photos anyway, so there wasn't much to check.

"Ms. He, I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time. I've read through your notebook; your writing is excellent. I look forward to your report on our department." Section Chief Li shook hands with Qingcheng and then helped her put her things back in her bag.

Before leaving, Li Ke solemnly handed the pocket watch to Qingcheng and let her go back. Qingcheng touched the pocket watch and felt that something was different. The original peony petals weren't this big... Suddenly, she smiled with relief and nodded slightly to Section Chief Li.

Gao Junxiao stood at the entrance of the headquarters, his hands behind his back. He had probably been waiting for her for a long time. When she came out, he greeted her warmly, "Editor He, where do you want to go? I just got off work, I can give you a ride."

"Then I'll trouble you, Inspector Gao. I'm tired from walking today and would like to go home and rest early." Qingcheng took Gao Junxiao's arm without caring about what others thought.

“Okay, let’s go home. I’ll buy you some food on the way; you have a sensitive stomach, so you can’t skip meals.” Gao Junxiao readily agreed, a hint of undisguised pleasure on his slightly upturned lips.

Section Chief Li stood by the window, watching the two walk out the door intimately. He then took out a men's pocket watch that gleamed with gold, its case adorned with delicate gold peony and butterfly designs.