First Position

Chapter 9: If You Don’t Understand, Just Ask

Ren Xiaosu stood at the entrance of the shack, watching the band disappear into the distance. Old Wang was beside him, incessantly apologizing to the others: “Ren Xiaosu may have some mental issues, but not like this. Please, hear me out…” The band’s crew barely bothered to listen.

“Wang Fugui, I’m giving you six hours to find a suitable candidate. Even if this kid isn’t sick, we don’t need him. At dawn, we leave. Don’t cause any more trouble!”

Ren Xiaosu, grinning cheerfully, stood by the shack’s doorway, looking on as if nothing was amiss. Yet at that moment, the girl with the duckbill cap glanced back at him—a single, piercing look that made Ren Xiaosu feel as if he had been thoroughly seen through. Though he couldn’t discern her expression beneath the cap, an inexplicable chill gripped his heart.

Instinctively, he activated his skill-learning schematic. A voice echoed within the palace:

“Random target skill will be learned.”

“Random learning?”

“The firearm skill of the target has been randomly selected. Learn it?”

“Yes!”

Ren Xiaosu saw his schematic was already fading—if he didn’t learn now, it would be wasted.

“Learning successful. You have mastered Advanced Firearms Mastery.”

“Wait, I only had a basic schematic. Why did I learn Advanced Firearms Mastery? Shouldn’t it be beginner level?” Ren Xiaosu wondered aloud in his mind.

“The schematics come in two types: basic, which allows learning any skill below advanced; and master, which enables learning others’ master-level skills and occasionally their supernatural abilities,” the palace voice explained.

Ren Xiaosu was stunned—he could even learn others’ supernatural abilities?! Suddenly, he thought of that girl and asked, “Can you tell me her firearm mastery level?”

“If the target skill has been learned, it can be disclosed.”

“Is her firearm mastery master level?”

“Perfect.”

The basic schematic randomly learns advanced-or-lower skills from the target; the master schematic builds upon the user’s advanced skills to learn master-level skills, and sometimes even the target’s supernatural powers. This ranking was determined solely by the palace. Though success wasn’t guaranteed, the idea of acquiring supernatural abilities exhilarated Ren Xiaosu.

Previously, he had debated with Yan Liuyuan whether supernatural abilities had hierarchies—some innate to combat better, others weaker. For someone like Ren Xiaosu, who must survive in the wild, more powerful supernatural combat skills meant superiority. Yan Liuyuan, blessed with luck but not strength, believed supernatural abilities were simply different, not ranked. But now, with the power to copy others’ abilities, how could it not be hierarchical?

Still, Ren Xiaosu’s mind dwelled mostly on the girl with the duckbill cap. Upon absorbing the advanced firearm skill, a flood of gun knowledge poured into his mind—like a sudden epiphany ingrained into his instincts. He now understood not just the models, disassembly, maintenance, and use of various firearms, but also nearly instinctive aiming techniques. He even sensed each weapon’s recoil. Given a gun within the scope of his advanced skills, he could wield it as skillfully as a veteran with ten years of practice. His accuracy within a hundred meters would consistently score above 95 points—a benchmark for advanced firearm mastery.

Though this knowledge pleased him, it didn’t overwhelm him—he still lacked a physical gun. What shocked him even more was the palace’s assessment of the girl’s firearm skill: perfect. Ren Xiaosu could hardly imagine how formidable the master level was, let alone “perfect.” Such a person existed in a mere band? It seemed neither the mercenaries nor the crew knew they harbored such a terrifying presence among them. Ren Xiaosu had discovered that everyone regarded her as nothing more than an ordinary staff member. She probably never imagined Ren Xiaosu had secretly obtained her secret by some mysterious means. Avoiding entanglement with this group was indeed a wise choice. A thrill of uncovering another’s secret surged within Ren Xiaosu.

“Brother, why do you keep staring at her back?” Yan Liuyuan popped his head out from the shack and asked.

Ren Xiaosu, still buoyed by his joy, turned to Yan Liuyuan, about to assert his elder brother’s authority, when the neighboring shack’s curtain was suddenly lifted, and a female voice called out, “Whose back are you staring at?”

Both Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan froze. The woman emerging was Xiaoyu!

Yan Liuyuan asked curiously, “Sister Xiaoyu, why are you in the next shack?”

Xiaoyu brushed her hair back with a smile. “I’m moving here to live, to be your neighbor.”

“What about the family of three who used to live here?” Yan Liuyuan pressed.

“I swapped my place with theirs,” Xiaoyu explained.

Lowering his voice, Yan Liuyuan whispered to Ren Xiaosu, “Brother, Xiaoyu really spent big on this move. She used to live in a brick house!”

Ren Xiaosu said nothing and slipped back into the shack. Yan Liuyuan smiled at Xiaoyu and withdrew his head.

“Brother, you’re still a virgin, right?” Yan Liuyuan asked.

Ren Xiaosu glared at him. “Liuyuan, you’re not a kid anymore. I want to discuss some educational issues with you.”

Yan Liuyuan immediately straightened, adopting a serious demeanor: “Alright, brother, ask me anything you don’t understand…”

Before he could finish, Ren Xiaosu kicked him down, though Yan Liuyuan laughed it off.

“You’ve really grown,” Ren Xiaosu said as he made his bed. “Try not to provoke Sister Xiaoyu or talk nonsense about romantic entanglements. With our situation, we can barely manage ourselves, let alone others.”

“Okay,” Yan Liuyuan replied obediently. “But she brought us potatoes and medicine and seems so concerned about you. Are you really going to ignore her?”

Ren Xiaosu pondered. “The most important thing is to act with integrity and a clear conscience. But if you feel guilty, convince yourself not to.”

Yan Liuyuan blinked in confusion—he had been listening attentively, only to be baffled by the latter half. Perhaps that was Ren Xiaosu—unique in this era, someone who might just fare better than most. Yet Yan Liuyuan didn’t mind who Ren Xiaosu was. Every bit of his cautiousness and scrupulousness came from the scars of his past—lessons learned and growth earned. Still, Yan Liuyuan sensed there were thoughts Ren Xiaosu kept locked deep within his heart.