CH 37

Chapter 37

On that evening, Gu Zecheng, a new e-sports star who was strangled in the cradle by plug-ins (Mercury retrograde) before he rose, angrily criticized the operator for doing nothing while occupying a position and enjoying a salary and the plug-in users for shamelessly seeking personal gain. Finally, he concluded, "What's the point of virtual things? I’ll take you to play the real thing."

Lin Zixi originally thought that his dad was going to take him to play real-life CS. Who knew that on Saturday, Gu Zecheng dug him out of the bed early in the morning, put him in the car, and set off to the military headquarters of a certain armed forces stationed in N City next door.

When young actor Lin stood on the shooting range in the rustling cold wind of winter days, his whole person was stupid.

With a blank face, he watched his dad chat with several of his old comrades-in-arms, while he himself was surrounded by these ‘older brothers’, who were at least two stripes and one star, to sign his name for their wives and daughters. Only after he saw his dad walking back to his side with a CS/LR4 sniper rifle did he completely recover.

"Don't be nervous..." Gu Zecheng chuckled and whispered in his ear, "I said you’re preparing for an audition, and I’m doing a rushed job to train you for two days. I’ve already reported to the organization, so I don't violate discipline."

……Am I nervous about this?!

If you didn't tell me, I thought you Gu Liangchen (good days) was already so wicked you could enter and leave the military area freely!

Lin Zixi touched a real gun, a gang leader’s domestic sniper rifle to boot, for the first time in his life. He, who had only seen the real thing in other people's TV series, felt like a young man with his first love—at a loss to know what to do and burning with passion.

Gu Zecheng carefully explained to Lin Zixi how to hold and fire the CS/LR4 rifle. After that, he held the rifle in both hands, supporting it with only his hands and shoulder, took aim, and fired a shot at the target 800 meters away in a standing position.

The head of the human-shaped shooting target was smashed to pieces at the moment the gunshot sounded, and in the next second, the shooting target beside it was also hit in the same spot.

Gu Zecheng shot, pulled the bolt, and shot again…. He stood holding the rifle and fired the five bullets in the magazine in one breath, leaving behind five human-shaped targets that were all hit on the ‘forehead’.

Lin Zixi used to think that his dad looked the most handsome in the world when smoking, but today, after watching him shoot a gun, he finally knew what it meant to be so handsome it made people’s legs soft.

When Gu Zecheng fired the second shot, Lin Zixi looked at him differently. When Dad Gu finished firing five shots, the admiration in Lin Zixi's eyes was about to materialize.

Seeing Gu Zecheng, who was carrying a rifle on his shoulder, turn to face him with a raised eyebrow and a smile, there was only one sentence scrolling back and forth in his heart—if he was not my own dad, I could kneel down and beg him to give me a baby.

In his heart, young actor Lin was about to worship his dad on the altar, but there were people who did not give his dad face and undermine his ability.

"It actually took 6 seconds to fire five bullets right at the target. Xiao Gu, you’ve gotten a bit worse." This was the old leader who came to watch.

"Team Gu, can you do it or not? The big star came to train, but you showed this level to him? You mustn't say that you’ve been the captain of our little team later; it’s shameful!" This was the former comrade-in-arms who liked to fan the flames while watching the fun, trying to make things bigger.

"I’ve retired for so many years. In peacetime, even if I have the opportunity to touch a gun, how can I still touch a sniper rifle? If I don't regress, Commander, then you have to worry about whether I secretly keep a gun."

Gu Zecheng laughed along with the old and gray-haired but hale and hearty and spirited commander after explaining. Then he looked at the man with buzz cut next to him who was only in his thirties but already wore two stripes and three stars on his shoulders with a face full of disgust, "Fuck off! There’s no later for you… you’ve lost your chance. Don’t brag if your soldiers can’t even equal my record back then." 

"A real man doesn't boast about his past achievements. Let's compare now if you have the ability!" Buzzcut, who was poked in his sore spot, was like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "Whoever wins will be the big star’s instructor!"

However, Big Star Lin who was cued did not give him any face at all, "For me, my brother is the best, and no one can compare with him… moreover those who haven't been brave enough."

Yes, Lin Zixi habitually called his dad ‘brother’ now.

‘President Gu’ seemed too distant; ‘Zecheng’ was a little less respectful; only ‘Brother Gu’ was intimate enough yet still respectful. It could be said that there was nothing wrong with it except for the disorder of seniority in the family.

Gu Zecheng proudly rubbed his very supportive ‘younger brother’ on the head. Then he respectfully sent off the old leader, perfunctorily drove away his former comrade-in-arms, and finally got to the point, starting from the basic gun-holding action to teaching Lin Zixi how to use the CS/LR4 sniper rifle.

It was the so-called there were no poor soldiers under a good general. After Lin Zixi was trained by his former sharpshooter daddy for a day, regardless of his current shooting records, at least his action of holding the gun looked decent, and it was no problem for him to bluff and scare people.

When his one day's training was about to end, Dad Gu's annoying old comrade-in-arms returned.

Guan Canghai, who had already changed into his civilian clothes, smacked Gu Zecheng's shoulder, "I've asked for a leave. Let's get together tonight?"

Gu Zecheng naturally had this intention. After returning and registering the sniper rifle, the ammunition case, and the remaining bullets, he took Lin Zixi and his old comrade-in-arms out of the barracks.

Gu Zecheng started the car and introduced the two passengers in the car to each other—

"Lin Zixi. You’ve been staying in the army all the time, so you’ve never heard of him. He’s very popular now and has starred in several dramas. He can sing, too. He has more than 30 million followers on Weibo!"

"Guan Canghai. You can call him 'Brother Guan'. I really didn’t expect that a person who sniveled on a mission back then could become a company commander of the special forces now."

As a result, the two people he introduced were in a state of "I'm not, I didn't".

"No, no, no, it’s fake singing. And at least half of my followers on Weibo are zombie followers, so it’s untrue." Young actor Lin hurriedly explained.

"Who cried? I was really being affected by tear gas at that time. You can't talk nonsense, Team Gu!" Company Commander Guan was in a great rush to defend himself.

Anyway, regardless of Gu Zecheng's unreliable introduction, Lin Zixi quickly became familiar with Guan Canghai and heard a lot of his dad's past sophistication in the army from his mouth overnight.

Like being the first place in the military district’s martial arts competition, sniping accurately from two kilometers away, leading a team to hunt down fugitives across borders…. Previously, Lin Zixi only knew from Gu Zecheng's Baike/Wiki page that his dad had been a soldier once, but this was the first time he found out that this person, who was blood-related to him, could be so excellent.

But such an excellent sharpshooter left the army at the age of twenty-three….

Lin Zixi sighed a little regretfully. Although Gu Zecheng was now very powerful after charging into the business world by himself and getting a piece of the pie, boys generally would always be more keen on an army legend.

Just as Lin Zixi was about to ask his dad the reason for his military discharge back then, Gu Zecheng's mobile phone rang, so he made an apologetic gesture and left the room to answer the phone call.

Therefore, Lin Zixi could only continue to listen to the story while being forced to drink alcohol by his ‘Brother Guan'—Guan Canghai could not drink during non-vacation time due to organizational discipline, but he tried his best to persuade his two table-mates to drink and still called it by the glorified name of "I must entertain guests as the host."

…… The host? Bullshit!

This hotel was run by my dad; can they really make you be a ‘host’ and entertain guests?!

Lin Zixi drank and inwardly complained about Guan Canghai at the same time. With such a character, it was no wonder that his dad was ruthless when talking to this old comrade-in-arms.

However, compared to ‘Brother Qiao’, who had frightened him at a glance in B City and was also Gu Zecheng’s old friend, ‘Brother Guan’ was obviously better.

Qiao Weidong's sentence "I thought he’s your illegitimate child" back then had scared Lin Zixi so much he still had lingering fears when he recalled it now.

Of course, Lin Zixi also understood that Guan Canghai could shoot his mouth off in front of a person he met for the first time clearly because Gu Zecheng treated him with the kind of intimacy he would have when facing his own people.

Ever since he was injured and woke up in the hospital, the relationship between him and Gu Zecheng in the past two months could be said to have advanced by leaps and bounds.

To this day, Lin Zixi believed that even if his dad did not regard him as his own son, being an adoptive younger brother was always possible.

When Gu Zecheng introduced Lin Zixi to Qiao Weidong back then, he said, "The star I’ve mentioned to you before". Lin Zixi did not know what Gu Zecheng would have said if it was Qiao Weidong they were meeting now….

Lin Zixi was urged to drink alcohol by Guan Canghai while his mind started to wander. When he recalled Qiao Weidong's sharp gaze, he suddenly shivered for some reason, and a subtle ominous premonition rose in his heart.