Chapter 16, Section 1, Testing of the First Part of the Miao Township Witch Ancestor

Sun Fatzi didn't hold back at all. He pushed the magazine into the magazine well of the gun and aimed at the target, firing a shot with a "pop." Haowen Ming watched the monitor screen and said, "Bullseye, Dasheng, you have excellent marksmanship." I looked at the target, and there was a cluster of red marks in the bullseye.

"The red marks at the point of impact are from the second explosion of the bullet, releasing concentrated cinnabar. I have to say, Dasheng, your marksmanship is indeed impressive," Haowen Ming commented.

Sun Fatzi grinned and said, "Director, within ninety-nine steps, I can hit wherever I aim. A target at fifty meters is a piece of cake." After saying that, he fired a series of shots in quick succession. Maybe Sun Fatzi got a bit carried away after boasting. He didn't hit the bullseye again, hovering between the eight and nine rings.

"Not bad, not bad, a score of 129. That's pretty good. Lazi, it's your turn," Haowen Ming said, looking at the electronic scorecard.

I switched to a human-shaped target at the same fifty-meter distance. Without aiming, I fired three shots in quick succession, and there were almost simultaneous red marks on the target's forehead, throat, and chest.

As the third bullet left the barrel, I had already chosen the next target. Following Sun Fatzi's example, I emptied the magazine in one go. Neat rows of red marks appeared at the neck of the human-shaped target. With my final shot, the neck of the target "cracked" and the head fell off. Sun Fatzi was fine; he had already witnessed my marksmanship in the Water Curtain Cave and wasn't too surprised. But Haowen Ming on the side was left in shock.

Haowen Ming said with a hint of excitement, "It seems both of you are doing well; your marksmanship is excellent. It's a pity we don't have shooting competitions within our bureau; otherwise, it would definitely be you two."

A shooting competition? My mind turned upside down, and for some reason, I suddenly thought of Old Wang, who had already died in the Water Curtain Cave...

The length of three months can be quite subjective. With a few years of experience as a special forces soldier as my foundation, the special training in the investigative bureau didn't pose much of a challenge for me. However, for Sun Fatzi, it was like a matter of life and death.

On the first day at the investigative bureau, Ouyang Pianzuo handed two envelopes to me and Sun Fatzi, saying, "One for each of you. See what's inside." Sun Fatzi reached for the envelope and was about to tear it open when Ouyang Pianzuo slapped his hand away. "Who told you to open it?"

Sun Fatzi asked in confusion, "How can I see what's inside if I don't open it?"

"Nonsense, why would I need you to open it? Use your third eye to see."

"Third eye?" Sun Fatzi reached for his buttocks. I kicked him lightly from behind and said, "What are you thinking? It's the inner eye! You're always daydreaming."

Ouyang Pianzuo couldn't wait and urged, "Hurry up, if you finish, there's more waiting for you today." Sun Fatzi looked a bit worried and with a pitiful look, he begged, "Director Ouyang, can you give us a hint?"

I had played this test when I was six years old; it was not at all challenging. After staring at the envelope for a moment, half of a newspaper page appeared in my mind. I said, "Gillian Chung is in trouble! And so are Joey Yung and Cecilia Cheung. Unfortunately, there's pixelation, so it's not clear. Ouyang Director, is there another half of the newspaper?"

Sun Fatzi widened his eyes and exclaimed, "You can see it? What does it say?"

I tore open the envelope, revealing the entertainment section of today's "Capital Morning News." Sun Fatzi snatched it from me, confirming that it was about the "Edison Chen photo scandal."

"Not bad, Xiaoshen, you're pretty quick at this. There aren't many in the bureau who can beat your speed," Ouyang Pianzuo said, smiling slightly. But when he turned to Sun Fatzi, his expression changed, and he urged, "Hey, Fatty, what about you?"

Sun Fatzi stared at the envelope for a long time, his face turning red. After Ouyang Pianzuo's urging five or six times, he finally hesitated and said, "It's... the bottom half of Lazi's newspaper?"

Ouyang Pianzuo was momentarily stunned and asked with disbelief, "Did Xiaoshen secretly tell you, didn't he?"

"How could that be? You were standing right there. We didn't have a chance to talk," Sun Fatzi replied, tearing open the envelope. As expected, it contained the continuation of the news about Edison Chen and the other celebrities.

After Ouyang Pianzuo left, I asked Sun Fatzi, "Did you guess it?"

"Of course!" Sun Fatzi grinned with a cunning smile. "If one newspaper is torn in half, where else would the other half be? Even Lao Zuo is childish when it comes to riddles."

Guessing the contents of the envelopes became a daily training exercise. Naturally, I wasn't bothered by it, but I couldn't figure out why Sun Fatzi always managed to guess correctly.