Chapter 12
There are many external factors that can directly affect the trajectory of a bullet after it's fired, like air, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, and so on.
Wind can cause deviation in the bullet's path, while density affects the bullet's velocity. In normal external air density conditions, the biggest impact is from the wind. When shooting over three hundred meters, if the external wind speed exceeds two levels, the bullet will follow an arc.
So in this situation, the demands on the shooter are very high. Not only do they have to adjust the scope to match the external natural environment, but they also have to estimate the target's next movement position and speed, and judge the lead time.
Of course, if the target can stay in place at that moment, it's the best gift for the shooter.
I went to bed early that night, even if I couldn't sleep, I kept my eyes closed because I knew I'd be straining my eyes excessively the next afternoon.
The next day, a little after two in the afternoon, I made my way up to the 12th floor of that building and opened the door on the left.
As soon as I entered, I felt it was colder inside than outside, perhaps due to it being uninhabited for a long time, lacking any human presence.
Looking out from the window facing northwest, the visibility was good. From this angle, there were no blind spots in the parking lot.
I first hid the gun in the room, closed the door, and then walked to Location X.
Even though I was carrying a bag with a pool cue inside, it still attracted people's attention as I walked back and forth. It's important to try to avoid drawing too much attention.
Now, going to Location X required some little tricks to ensure that A wouldn't immediately jump into the car after leaving the market.
When I saw him leaving the restaurant last time, I noticed that the driver directly used the keys to open the car door without any anti-theft alarm, which was an opportunity for me.
Arriving at the market, I bought some sunflower seeds, found a sheltered corner, and waited for the target to appear.
There were many people here, engaging in various activities. Behind me was a stall selling toys, with all kinds of toys including toy guns.
I casually picked one up. Nowadays, these toys are made to look very real. With a few modifications and changing the parts to metal, it could easily pass as a real gun.
The stall owner asked if I wanted to buy it, and I smiled and shook my head.
He then took out several more from a black bag under the table, along with a crossbow, saying, "These can shoot steel balls. One shot within thirty meters can make a hole in a tin can."
I looked at those guns - there were Glocks, Fives, Sixes, and Sprays. These were all quite common weapons. However, the crossbow was well-made and even had an infrared sight.
The boss seemed impatient when he saw I was just looking and not buying. He asked if I was going to buy anything, and I shook my head before being shooed away.
I continued cracking my sunflower seeds. Although the hygiene in this market wasn't great, I made sure not to litter the sunflower seed shells on the ground, as some level of etiquette should still be maintained.
At 3:20, the target's car appeared. As I watched the car park and four people got out and headed straight into the wholesale market.
I leisurely walked up to the car.
This sunflower seed shell is a bit sharp. Here, have some. I stuffed two pieces into the keyhole and threw the rest next to the car door, then dusted off my hands and returned to my ambush spot.
Back at the ambush spot, I stretched my muscles because I was about to maintain a position for a long time. I really admire snipers, not for anything else, but simply because their willpower is astounding. A sniper can stay still and focused on a target for hours on end, which is something most people find extremely challenging.
After cracking sunflower seeds for a while, my throat was dry. I scolded myself for forgetting to bring a bottle of water.
The window opens inward, which is good. This way, people downstairs won't see that the uninhabited room suddenly has an open window. I always seem to be lucky.
Normally, leaving just one window partially open in the room shouldn't make it colder than outside. It felt strangely chilly.
I know that a place that hasn't been inhabited for a long time can feel a bit unclean, but I think even ghosts would avoid me, considering I'm quite a ferocious person.
I muttered to myself quietly, "Stay focused, don't get distracted!"
It seems I don't have the potential to be a sniper. Just over twenty minutes passed, and I was already feeling uncomfortable all over, especially my right shoulder, which was killing me.
I thought to myself, it would be so nice if the waitress could give me a little massage right now.
But I got distracted again and had to bite my lip to refocus!
Around half-past four, A came out of the market. The four of them quickly walked up to the car, and the driver tried to unlock it.
I chuckled, whispering, "Can't open it, take your time."
I released the safety catch and placed my index finger on the trigger.
Through the scope, I saw the driver bend down to check the keyhole and the sunflower seed shells on the ground. He swept the shells aside in annoyance and said something to A.
One of A's other bodyguards also bent down to check the keyhole. Only the special forces soldier remained by A's side, but he was positioned behind A, just as I wanted.
It was time to shoot. I adjusted my head slightly, and as my eyes moved back from the scope's lens, at that moment, I saw a reflection in the scope of someone's feet hanging in mid-air behind me...
A sudden chill ran up my spine. Sometimes it's not fear, but the unexpected appearance of something causes your nerves and brain cells to react instinctively by contracting.
I stood there for two seconds in shock before snapping back to reality. I refocused through the scope. Thankfully, the target was still there, and his two men were removing the sunflower seed shells from the keyhole.
Sunflower seed shells were quite handy - easy to stuff but difficult to remove. Apply a bit of force, and they break off, hehe.
I calmed down a bit, held my breath, and slowly began to apply pressure on the trigger.
A was getting restless, bending down every now and then to check on the progress.
Don't move, stand still, yes, just like that, don't move.
As I muttered to myself, A seemed to freeze like he heard the call of death, standing still there.With a loud bang, A's head jerked back as the powerful inertia of the bullet made him fall to the ground.
I quickly retrieved the gun and crouched down.
Due to the weather today, I couldn't use a silencer, so the gunshot was loud, its sound carried by the wind, echoing far away.
Slowly, I crouched down and closed the half-open window, still not turning back at this point.
I had no idea what I would see if I turned around, but it definitely wouldn't be something you see every day.
I took off the scope and aimed behind, but I didn't see the pair of feet hanging in the air through the scope.
After gathering my things, before leaving, I looked up at the roof behind the window and saw a talisman posted there, swaying with the wind coming in.
"Spooky, there must have been something bad happening in this house." I muttered as I went downstairs.
I hailed a cab at the door and asked the driver to take me to the department store in the city center, where I didn't do anything but just walked around a few times before changing cabs.
On the way, I chatted with the driver and casually asked, "Why are those two apartments on the 12th floor of that building so cheap? Everywhere else rents for 500 a month, why are those only 200?"
Whether a city is big or small, some very normal news may not spread widely, but supernatural and bizarre news must be well-known.
The driver said, "Oh, you mean that? Even if they paid me 100, I wouldn't rent it! Have you heard of people getting killed, burned alive, or even steamed to death?"
The driver paused and continued, "You know, it's really sad for that family, the child was only a few years old. Originally, a family of three lived there, a couple with a child. The heater in the room broke one night, and the hot air inside suddenly sprayed out, jamming the door. As for the woman, couldn't she find something to break the glass?"
"That night, the man and the woman were arguing, the man fell asleep in the living room, and in his grogginess, he heard his wife making a fuss in the room. When he touched the door handle, it stuck to his hand. When that piece of iron got hot enough, it stuck to the skin when touched."
"The woman was screaming inside, the whole building could hear her, and the man gritted his teeth and pulled his hand away, with a layer of skin stuck to it. He found a hammer and broke the glass above the door, and the hot air rushed out. When the fire brigade arrived, it hadn't all dissipated yet."
"When they broke open the door, the child was steamed like a leavened bun, and his mother blocked the hole that had burst open, leaving a bowl-sized hole from front to back."
"Later, the man developed a mental illness and hanged himself at home after a while. Their neighbors said they could always hear noises from their house, sometimes it was the woman's screams before she died, sometimes the child's crying, and even the sound of opening and closing doors late at night."
"Eventually, the neighbors couldn't take it anymore and moved out, the house was rented out, but every tenant only stayed a few days before leaving. They say that house is too cursed, and until now, no one dares to live there. You better find another place."