Chapter 56: The Wager

Since the old senior has his own ideas, I will leave everything entirely up to him," Zhang Tiejun said, cupping his fists in a salute.

"I didn't expect you to be so young, yet so bold. Fine, don't say the old man didn't give you a chance." Qian Dadan pointed at the Type 38 rifle slung across his back. "We all make our living by the iron in our hands. Don't say I didn't give you a chance; let's measure our skills against each other."

"Heh." Zhang Tiejun pointed to the old-fashioned flintlock hunting rifle on his back. "Old senior, are you really not afraid of earning a reputation for bullying a junior?"

"Kid, this is the Guandong Mountains, not some dueling ground. Only those who survive get a chance," Qian Dadan said dismissively. "You have two choices now: first, tuck your tail between your legs and get lost; second, compete with me. If you win, this little fellow is yours. If you lose, you leave here stripped to your bare skin."

To go empty-handed in the Guandong Mountains was practically stepping half into the gates of hell. Expecting Zhang Tiejun to retreat in the face of such difficulty, Qian Dadan was surprised not only to find him unafraid, but stepping forward proactively. "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond, four horses can't catch it back. Rest assured, senior, this junior will give it his absolute all."

"Good lad, don't say I didn't give you a chance." With a sinister grin, Qian Dadan pointed toward the nearby forest and jutted his chin. "There is a tall tree over there. The moment a bird lands on its topmost branch, the two of us will fire together. Whoever manages to hit that flying bird first wins."

It had to be said that Qian Dadan was malicious to the absolute extreme.

Compared to the Type 38 rifle in Qian Dadan's hands, the old-fashioned flintlock hunting rifle carried by Zhang Tiejun was little more than a firewood stick. Not only was its accuracy lacking, but even its range fell short.

Under such circumstances, making a strong showing was practically harder than ascending to the heavens. Most importantly, hunting equipment was secondary; what mattered most was endurance and patience.

Wild birds in the mountain forests were extremely sensitive to danger, and ordinary birds wouldn't even settle on the same branch twice. Securing an instant victory required complete psychological preparation.

The act of aiming at the tree's crown could stretch on for half an hour or even several hours, putting one's inner composure to the ultimate test.

When limbs were forced to maintain a single posture for a prolonged period, soreness and stiffness would inevitably set in, and the slightest deviation would inflict immense psychological pressure on the opponent.

"Alright, kid, you've got some spirit. Let me see what you're truly capable of."

The moment the words fell, both raised their short guns in unison, locking their sights firmly on the treetops.

More than half an hour ticked away bit by bit as the two waited.

The old man and the youth stood motionless as statues, until finally, a solitary bird entered their iron sights.

"Bang!" Both fired almost simultaneously, and the pitiful lone wild goose plummeted to the ground with a cry.

"Kid! It's not too late to regret this. If we walk over a bit later and find any flaws, it'll be a truly disgraceful embarrassment!" Qian Dadan said with absolute confidence.

Zhang Tiejun remained unperturbed. "Senior, it's best not to speak too soon."

"You certainly have a stubborn mouth, kid," Qian Dadan smiled faintly. "Looks like today the Guandong Mountains are going to gain another man stripped down to his bare skin."

"That's hard to say, senior. Overturning a boat in a small gutter happens all the time," Zhang Tiejun said with a smile.

"Dahuang, go!" At a wave of Qian Dadan's hand, a hunting dog that had been poised and ready darted straight ahead.

"Fine hunting hound," Zhang Tiejun complimented.

This flattery clearly struck the right chord with Qian Dadan, who couldn't help feeling pleased with himself. "Kid, just for those words, I'll cut you some slack today. These hounds are old partners I've carefully nurtured over many years. Leave aside ordinary chickens, ducks, hares, and wild boars; even wild wolves and leopards are no match for them."

Watching the hunting dog's receding, darting figure, Zhang Tiejun felt a lingering itch in his heart. Qian Dadan's words were true; he should also find an opportunity to train some partners so that if anything ever happened to him in the future, he would at least have a helper.

During the brief moments Zhang Tiejun was lost in thought, the hound came bounding back, holding a lifeless little bird in its jaws.

Qian Dadan crouched down and gently stroked the hound's forehead. Even a man as dark-hearted as Qian Dadan was full of tenderness when treating his hunting dogs. After circling the old man a few times, the Dahuang hound contentedly dropped the bird at Qian Dadan's feet.

Seemingly having anticipated his victory all along, Qian Dadan couldn't help exulting smugly, "Look at this bird, it's got a huge hole right through its body. This Type 38 rifle really is useful..."

Before Qian Dadan could finish speaking, his voice abruptly cut off. He stared blankly at the scene before him: although the bird was dead, there wasn't a single bullet hole on its body. It merely lay stiffly in Qian Dadan's hand.

Faced with this unexpected outcome, Qian Dadan was incredulous. "Impossible, impossible, how can this be? How can there be no wounds on this bird's body!"

Zhang Tiejun's reaction, however, was entirely calm, as if all of this had long been foreseen in his eyes.

"Although the Type 38 rifle has strong penetration and high accuracy, its rate of fire is slow. The overly long rifling greatly compresses the speed at which the bullet is thrown from the muzzle, significantly dampening the sound." Zhang Tiejun squatted down, picked up the shell casing that had dropped from Qian Dadan's chamber, and inspected it closely before continuing, "Back in the day, the little devils were short on resources and couldn't produce mass batches of explosive bullet fragments. Coupled with their excessive pursuit of accuracy and enhanced ambush power, they never modified it. The older generation always said that if you mounted a telescopic sight on a Type 38 rifle, it could even rival a sniper rifle."

Faced with Zhang Tiejun's overly professional explanation, Qian Dadan demanded viciously, "What on earth are you trying to say?"

Without explaining further, Zhang Tiejun pulled the Colt pistol from his chest. "Actually, I knew from the very beginning that I couldn't beat you, so I played a little trick. When both of us fired simultaneously, I used this pistol to aim directly at the muzzle of your Type 38 rifle. The two bullets collided, deflecting each other off their intended trajectory."

First came sheer disbelief, followed immediately by astonishment and bafflement. "How is that possible?"

"Even if I explained it to you, you wouldn't believe it." Zhang Tiejun locked his gaze on Little Dunzi. "Senior, a bet is a bet. A man of your high and respected status surely won't go back on your word with a junior like me."

Qian Dadan was stunned for a moment, but a second thought immediately sparked a new line of questioning.

"There are no bullet holes on this bird. How do you prove it died by your hand?"