Chen Zemian walked into the shooting gallery and unconsciously held his breath as he looked at the various firearms displayed in the cabinets.
There were many types of guns in the display cabinets. Besides civilian firearms, there were also many military rifles.
Barrett M82, AWP sniper rifle, PMM modern sniper rifle, Finnish T3 sniper rifle, CZ P09 pistol, CZ 75 pistol, DT11 shotgun, Glock 17 pistol, Beretta 92 pistol, P226 pistol, 7.62mm sniper rifle, HK416 automatic rifle, MP5 submachine gun, Uzi submachine gun, AUG assault rifle, as well as domestic firearms such as the 95 and 92.
Most of them were only for display. The heavy sniper rifles and several other rifles and submachine guns were not available for customers.
The bright and soft light from the display lamps shone on the gun bodies, reflecting an indescribable cold beauty.
So cool.
The display cabinets used for exhibiting guns in the shooting gallery were so impressive that Chen Zemian could hardly imagine how impactful Lu Zhuonian’s gun museum would be.
Dazzled by the sight, Chen Zemian found it hard to decide. He wished he could just lie down on the display case and look at them all day.
“Any gun will do?” Chen Zemian turned his head toward Lu Zhuonian, his eyes sparkling. “When I went to the shooting range before, I could only use civilian guns. Military rifles required special permission.”
Lu Zhuonian didn’t want to answer such a boring question and glanced at the staff.
The staff member immediately replied, “All of them are licensed, Mr. Chen. You can use whichever one you want. Let me open the display cabinet first, and you can take your time to choose.”
Chen Zemian almost choked. “Can the display cabinet really be opened?”
“Of course, Mr. Chen. The guns are not loaded, so you can hold them during inspection.”
The gun and ammunition warehouse implemented a two-person double-lock system, and the exhibition hall was no different. Two staff members each took out a key to open the display cabinet.
One of the staff members, skilled at observing people’s expressions, first took out the gun Chen Zemian had shown the most interest in.
Chen Zemian took the T3 sniper rifle and quickly glanced at Lu Zhuonian to express his gratitude, but his attention remained mostly on the rifle.
Lu Zhuonian’s eyes fell on the perfectly polished barrel. “The Tikka T3 is light and solid, easy to carry, and its accuracy is famously superior. You have a good eye for choosing guns.”
Chen Zemian said, “What I like most is that its designers pay special attention to user experience and offer a variety of caliber options. You can choose the configuration according to the mission, and the operation is smooth.”
Lu Zhuonian loved guns, and some people catered to his preferences by pretending to be interested and talking about guns.
But for something this highly professional yet uncommon, you could basically judge someone’s level after just a few words of conversation.
Chen Zhe was an expert.
From the moment he started examining the Tikka T3, Lu Zhuonian felt he truly understood it, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he listed all the gun’s advantages.
Unlike some people who pretended to know everything but only talked about the most famous guns — Barrett, AWP, PMM, Uzi, 98K, Desert Eagle, and revolvers.
Chen Zemian didn’t even know what a Beretta 92F was.
Lu Zhuonian’s tone softened a little. “Chen Zhe.”
Chen Zemian was not very familiar with his new name yet and didn’t realize Lu Zhuonian was calling him again. He was still immersed in the world of weapons, touching the Tikka T3 lovingly.
Lu Zhuonian found it a little amusing.
It was the first time someone had ignored him face to face and didn’t respond when their name was called.
Lu Zhuonian paused and spoke again, “Chen Zhe.”
This time Chen Zemian reacted. He immediately raised his head, eyes sparkling. “What’s wrong, Mr. Lu? Do you have any instructions?”
Lu Zhuonian had no instructions; he just wanted to ask Chen Zemian which gun he wanted to try first. “The experience areas for rifles and pistols are separate. Which one do you want to try first?”
Chen Zemian thought about it and finally did not abandon his friend. “Pistols. Mr. Xiao and the others are all in Shooting Hall No. 2. I’ll go find them there first.”
After all, he had the chance to come in thanks to Xiao Kesong’s matchmaking. Although the shooting range was open to the public, if he came by himself, he definitely wouldn’t have been able to see and handle these exhibition guns so closely.
Chen Zemian put the T3 back on the display stand, reluctantly touched the buttstock made of high-grade walnut, and sighed, “It’s so beautiful.”
Lu Zhuonian was kind: “I’ll bring you here later.”
Chen Zemian began to understand why everyone wanted to be Lu Zhuonian’s follower.
Lu Zhuonian had so much to offer and was very generous.
Just a little bit of benefit slipping through your fingers was enough to attract everyone.
The two of them left the exhibition hall together. Chen Zemian went to find Xiao Kesong first, while Lu Zhuonian went somewhere unknown.
When Chen Zemian arrived, Xiao Kesong was shooting with noise-canceling headphones and goggles. Some of the other young masters were also shooting, while others were sitting in the rest area, drinking water and chatting.
They arrived at the shooting range together. Everyone saw Chen Zhe and Lu Zhuonian leave alone. When they saw Chen Zhe come back alone, someone asked, “Chen Zhe, where is Young Master Lu?”
Chen Zemian shook his head. “I don’t know. He left earlier.”
Liu Yuebo sneered and glanced at Chen Zhe. “What a trick! You worked hard and finally won Young Master Lu’s favor. Do you have any experience to share? Tell us, how did you win Young Master Lu’s favor? Was it with that pretty face?”
Chen Zemian’s expression remained unchanged. “Young Master Liu, you’re joking.”
Liu Yuebo came from a wealthy family. He looked down on ordinary people from the bottom of his heart and was even more contemptuous of Chen Zhe, whom he saw as a sycophantic and servile villain.
He sat on the sofa with his legs crossed and said sarcastically, “Chen Zhe, you really think differently. Why didn’t I think of getting close to Young Master Lu through my hobby of shooting?”
“Of course, it’s because Young Master Liu has a noble character and is unwilling to stoop so low,” Chen Zemian curled his eyes and smiled harmlessly. “It can’t be that Young Master Liu is too stupid to think of it.”
Everyone couldn’t help laughing when they heard that.
The laughter was particularly harsh on Liu Yuebo, making his face turn pale. He cursed, “You’re an expert at being a dog. Of course, I can’t compare with you. At the same time, you manage to play both sides between Young Master Lu and Young Master Xiao, wagging your tail and begging for mercy. It’s really amazing.”
These words were too much — they had risen to the level of a personal insult. Chen Zemian felt very uncomfortable listening to them. When he thought of the plot in the original book, his face suddenly darkened.
Seeing this, He Yinan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and said to mediate, “Yuebo, be careful with your words.”
Liu Yuebo wanted to say something else, but He Yinan pulled him back and gave Xue Duo a look.
“Chen Zhe, go buy us some coffee,” Xue Duo tossed a sports bracelet to Chen Zemian. “I’ll treat you.”
Chen Zhe was used to running errands like this. Xue Duo asked him to buy things and took the opportunity to separate him from Liu Yuebo to avoid escalating the conflict.
But Chen Zemian wasn’t used to running errands and didn’t understand what Xue Duo meant by suddenly throwing something at him, so he naturally didn’t reach out to take it.
As Xue Duo finished speaking, the bracelet brushed past Chen Zemian’s shoulder and fell to the ground with a thud.
The moment the bracelet hit the floor, the scene fell silent for a second.
Before Xue Duo could say anything, Liu Yuebo suddenly stood up, pointed at Chen Zemian’s nose, and cursed him with some very unpleasant words.
Chen Zemian ignored him, turned around, picked up Xue Duo’s bracelet, and went to buy two dozen iced Americano.
When he came back with eight cups, the scene had become lively again. Everyone was chatting or playing with their phones, and no one was deliberately looking at Chen Zemian.
Only Liu Yuebo glanced at him sideways and snorted arrogantly.
Xue Duo was naturally soft-hearted and kind. Seeing Chen Zhe carrying eight cups of coffee by himself, he stood up to take them and help carry some.
Chen Zemian said, “No, I’ll do it.”
Seeing that Chen Zemian’s expression hadn’t changed, Xue Duo joked, “Why did you buy all iced Americanos? You’re going to make us suffer.”
“That can’t be,” Chen Zemian smiled, coaxing like talking to a child. “I’ll buy you something else later. The iced Americano will be ready soon.”
Before Xue Duo could react to what “iced Americano will be ready soon” meant, Chen Zemian walked through the crowd and headed toward Liu Yuebo first.
Chen Zemian said in his usual tone, “Please make way. I’ll serve coffee to Young Master Liu first.”
Seeing this, everyone thought Chen Zhe was giving in to Liu Yuebo. Afraid Chen Zhe would feel embarrassed or Liu Yuebo would say something unpleasant, they all stood up and made way.
Chen Zemian stood in front of Liu Yuebo, holding an iced Americano.
Liu Yuebo lowered his head and fiddled with his phone, as if he didn’t see anyone.
“Mr. Liu,” Chen Zhe called out and raised his arm. “Have some coffee.”
Liu Yuebo raised his eyelids proudly, but before he could say anything, his proud expression froze.
Chen Zemian raised two dozen cups of coffee and turned his hand. Eight cups of iced Americano poured down, along with the lids, ice cubes, straws, and plastic cups, all splashing Liu Yuebo in the face.
Everyone gasped in shock.
Amidst the surprise, Xue Duo felt a hint of realization.
No wonder iced Americano is said to be fast.
It turns out the food is served quickly.
*****
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Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal
