Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

"Too high! Too far to the right!" Jin Aimin observed and reported the target through his binoculars.

Wei Chen was not discouraged. He carefully felt the force he had exerted, the deviation in aim, and the feedback from the recoil. He slightly adjusted his posture and corrected his aim.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Several shots were fired in succession, and the landing points began to move closer to the bullseye.

"Good! That's progress! Keep it up!" Jin Aimin encouraged loudly.

Wei Chen calmed himself, clearing his mind of distractions, and perfectly combined the techniques taught by Jin Aimin with his own strong body control and keen senses. He no longer deliberately pursued speed, but rather the stability and precision of each shot.

Gradually, his shooting rhythm became exceptionally stable. Each breath interval, each shot's force, seemed meticulously calculated. On the target a hundred meters away, the bullet impacts became increasingly concentrated in the seven, eight, and even nine-ring areas!

Jin Aimin's hand holding the binoculars trembled slightly, his face filled with disbelief: "My goodness... bro, your... your progress is too fast! You've only fired a few shots, and you're almost as good as the veterans in our department who have been training for half a year!"

Wei Chen put down his gun, smiled, and stretched his shoulders: "Maybe it's because I had some prior experience, plus the excellent teaching from Section Chief Jin, that I found it relatively quickly."

"Your foundation? Your foundation is extraordinary!" Jin Aimin exclaimed in amazement, circling Wei Chen. "With your physique and stability, you're a natural-born shooter! Come on, try a moving target! It'll be more challenging!"

Jin Aimin had someone activate a simple, horizontally moving target device next to them. A circular target began to slide left and right along the track.

Wei Chen lay down again, his gaze locked onto the moving target like a hawk's. This time, he subtly channeled a wisp of his mental energy, not to correct the trajectory, but to more clearly capture the target's movement and speed, aiding in calculating the lead. His powerful dynamic vision and spatial awareness were on full display at this moment.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The gunshots echoed across the empty shooting range. New bullet holes appeared one after another on the moving targets! Although not as precise and dense as on stationary targets, most of them landed within the effective area, and a few even grazed the edge of the bullseye!

"Wow!" Jin Aimin was thrilled, even more so than if he had hit the target himself. "Genius! Brother Wei Chen, you're absolutely cut out to be a sharpshooter! It's a shame your talent is wasted in the purchasing department! How about I talk to the factory manager and get you transferred to our security department? You could be in charge of protecting important targets, or even become a shooting instructor!"

Wei Chen quickly waved his hand: "Section Chief Jin, please don't! My skills are still far from what you're talking about. I haven't even gotten the hang of procurement yet, I can't give up halfway. Shooting is just a hobby, good for my health and protecting the factory area."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Jin Aimin didn't press the matter. He simply patted him on the shoulder, his tone filled with genuine appreciation: "Alright! You've got guts, bro! But from now on, you can come to this shooting range whenever you want! I've told Xiao Wang, who's on duty at the range, to just look for him! There's plenty of ammunition! Practice hard, you never know when it might come in handy!"

Wei Chen spent the entire morning immersed in the joy of shooting. He tried fixed targets at different distances, experienced the challenge of moving targets, and even fired a few rounds with a pistol at the end, feeling the short, powerful recoil.

He deliberately controlled his performance, gradually progressing from an initial "newbie" to a level of "gifted but still needs honing," demonstrating his potential without being outrageous.

Each time he pulled the trigger, the vibration of the gun, the smell of gunpowder, and the crisp sound of the spent cartridge hitting the ground gave him a sense of primal and pure power being released.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Without a word, Jin Aimin grabbed Wei Chen: "Come on, come on! We've been training all morning, my stomach's rumbling! Today, I absolutely have to treat you to a meal at the cafeteria! It's a proper way to thank you for those two wild boars before the New Year!"

The small canteen in the steel rolling mill was specifically for factory leaders and some employees who had made special contributions or needed to be entertained. It was much savory and tasted better than the large canteen. The current head chef, surnamed Wang, was highly skilled and unassuming. It wasn't Sha Zhu's turn to flaunt his "Tan Family Cuisine" yet.

The small canteen wasn't crowded, and the environment was much quieter and cleaner than the large canteen. Jin Aimin was clearly a regular here; he found a seat towards the back and gestured for Wei Chen to sit down.

"Master Wang! Master Wang! We have a special guest today, so prepare two of your best dishes!" Jin Aimin called out towards the kitchen.

A moment later, a middle-aged man wearing a white apron, with a kind face and slightly plump, poked his head out and replied with a smile, "Section Chief Jin is here! Don't worry, I guarantee you and this comrade will be satisfied!" His gaze lingered on Wei Chen for a moment, with friendly curiosity.

Soon, several main dishes were served: glistening and fragrant braised lion's head meatballs with a rich broth; a plate of golden-brown sweet and sour pork tenderloin coated in a sweet and sour sauce; a plate of crisp and vibrant green stir-fried seasonal vegetables; and a large bowl of steaming, milky-white crucian carp and tofu soup. The staple food was snow-white steamed buns. In this era of scarcity, this meal was truly luxurious.

"Come on, brother, don't be shy! Start eating!" Jin Aimin warmly invited, first picking up a large piece of lion's head meatballs and stuffing it into his mouth, chewing with satisfaction. "Mmm! Chef Wang's cooking is amazing! It's just as good as the big restaurants outside!"

Wei Chen also picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors. The cooking time was just right. "It's really delicious! Chef Wang has excellent skills!" he praised sincerely.

The two chatted and ate in a pleasant atmosphere. Jin Aimin told some interesting stories about the security department and subtly touched on the delicate aspects of personnel relationships within the factory. Wei Chen mostly listened, occasionally offering a few words of agreement, behaving like a humble and eager-to-learn junior. The meal was enjoyed by both host and guest, and it also brought the two closer together.

After the meal, Jin Aimin had something to take care of, and after reminding Wei Chen again that he could come to the shooting range to practice at any time, he left in a hurry.

In the afternoon, Wei Chen neither returned to his office nor went to the shooting range. He knew the principle of moderation. His shooting talent displayed that morning was already remarkable enough; if he practiced tirelessly for another afternoon, it wouldn't be considered exceptional talent, but rather that of a superhuman monster. He needed to keep a low profile.

He rode his bicycle slowly around the factory area, took care of some odd jobs, and then left the steel rolling mill with the flow of people right at the end of the workday.

Winter evenings come early, and the sky was already somewhat dark. The cold wind was biting, scraping against his face like tiny knives. Wei Chen rode his bicycle, deliberately choosing quiet, secluded paths. In a dead-end corner of an alley piled with discarded building materials, where almost no one passed by, he stopped and quickly surveyed his surroundings.

After confirming that no one was around, he had a thought and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.

In the game world, at the hunter's cabin, a warm atmosphere enveloped him, dispelling the chill of reality. Big Yellow immediately wagged its tail and came to greet him.

"Big Yellow, I'm going to show you something fun today!" Wei Chen's eyes sparkled with anticipation. He led Big Yellow straight to the open space outside the hut.

Upon arriving at the wild boars' gathering place outside the city, two plump, tusk-baring virtual wild boars instantly appeared in the open space. They seemed not to have reacted yet, grunting blankly.

Wei Chen took a deep breath and shot them dead in a few quick shots. Then he focused his mind and activated the "Gathering" skill imprinted in his mind. He stretched out his hand towards one of the wild boars, clearly thinking: I need the cut pork, pig's head, pig's trotters, pig's offal, pig fat, pig skin... unwanted bones, unusable internal organs, and excess parts.

It sounds slow, but it's actually only a matter of a thought.

A soft, indescribable pale green light instantly enveloped the wild boar, as if scanning it! There was no bloodshed, no struggle, and no tedious dissection process.

A flash of light, gone in an instant! The live wild boar vanished from the spot!

Instead, there was a pile of perfectly cut, clean pieces of meat arranged neatly on the ground according to Wei Chen's will! There was glistening white lard, a whole pig's head, four pig's trotters, cleaned offal, and even a whole, cleanly scraped piece of pigskin!

The unwanted bones, filth, and other debris were wiped away as if by an eraser, disappearing without a trace, leaving not even a drop of blood behind!

"Done!" Wei Chen felt a surge of joy and accomplishment! The efficiency and cleanliness were revolutionary! He immediately repeated the process on the second wild boar. The same green light flashed, and the same perfect cut was achieved!

Looking at the two heaps of abundant "loot" on the ground, Wei Chen was in high spirits. He didn't need so much; with a thought, he stored most of the pork, lard, pigskin, and offal into his storage space in the game world. He left only a huge pig's head, intending to take it home.

He exited the game world and returned to the cold alley. Silently, a heavy pig's head, still carrying a hint of the "fresh" scent unique to the game world, appeared in the front basket of Wei Chen's bicycle.

The pig's head was cleaned very thoroughly; even the hair in the ear holes looked like it had been carefully removed, and there wasn't a trace of blood.

He got on his bike, sped up, and headed towards the courtyard house.

Dusk was falling at the entrance of the courtyard house.

Uncle Yan Bugui, the "door god," stood guard at the entrance like a doorstep, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat and with his hands tucked in. He wore his usual, meticulously calculated smile, warmly greeting every neighbor who came in or out.

"Old Liu, off work? Busy at the factory today?" "Oh, Aunt Zhang, back from grocery shopping? Wow, these cabbages are so fresh!" "Little Stone, slow down, don't fall!"

His gaze, however, was like the most sophisticated radar, quickly scanning everyone's hands, the nets they carried, the baskets on their bikes... calculating what good things they might have brought back that day, pondering whether there was a chance to "change things up" a little, or at least satisfy his insatiable curiosity and calculating mind.