Just then, Sarah called.
Mike stepped to the side to answer.
“Hey, I heard you guys are handling a murder case?” Sarah asked curiously.
“How is it?
Exciting?”
“We’re just guarding the door, waiting for the forensics team.”
Mike didn’t want to talk about this at a crime scene.
At the same time, he felt a sense of relief; ending their relationship had definitely been the right choice.
If he didn’t answer a question perfectly, she’d start acting out.
It might have been fine if he actually wanted a relationship, but he was carrying secrets.
Most of the time, he simply didn’t have the energy to deal with a temperamental woman.
“Alright.
Any plans for your next day off?” Sarah’s tone became more casual.
Mike thought of the Desert Eagle in his system space.
He needed to get used to it.
If he went to the shooting range alone, it might look too solitary…
Sarah would make for excellent cover.
“How about I take you to a shooting range tomorrow?” Mike suggested.
“I remember one in the suburbs.
The facilities are average, but it’s rarely crowded.”
After two seconds of silence, Sarah replied, “The range?
Wow, I really didn’t expect that.
Okay, what time?”
After agreeing on a time and meeting place, Mike hung up.
In the distance, the forensics vehicles were arriving…
The next day after work, Mike drove Sarah out to grab a bite to eat before heading to an indoor shooting range in the suburbs.
The range was quite large, though the facilities were somewhat dated.
After parking, he carried his gym bag into the range, completed the paperwork, and rented a shooting stall.
At that moment, only two other stalls were occupied.
The deafening reports of gunfire echoed in the enclosed space.
Even with noise-canceling earmuffs, one could still feel the concussive force.
Mike started by having Sarah practice basic shooting with a Glock 19.
Although she worked in administration, her basic training from the police academy was still there.
She picked it up quickly, though her accuracy left much to be desired.
After emptying two magazines, sweat beaded on her forehead, and a hint of excitement sparkled in her eyes.
“Your turn, Coach Li.” Sarah stepped back.
Sarah let out a “Wow!” of admiration.
It wasn’t that Mike was particularly accurate—his grouping was almost as poor as hers—but his hands were incredibly steady.
It was as if the lethal weapon were nothing more than a child’s plastic toy.
Once Mike adjusted, his second magazine was almost entirely near the bullseye.
His accuracy had jumped to a new level.
Sarah excitedly raised her hand for a high-five, shouting “Yes!” as if she had been the one who fired the shots.
It had to be said that Sarah was providing excellent emotional support at that moment.
Mike smiled but didn’t continue with the Glock.
Instead, he reached into his gym bag, pretending to take something out.
With a thought, the system’s Desert Eagle instantly appeared in his hand.
Its heavy metal body and iconic silhouette gleamed coldly under the range lights.
“Whoa, a Desert Eagle?”
Sarah let out a low gasp of surprise.
“When did you get that?
The recoil on that thing is no joke.”
“You know how strong I am.
Just for fun.”
Mike didn’t explain further.
He skillfully checked the firearm—though he knew this gun didn’t need checking and that the ammunition was “infinite.”
Remaining cautious, he put on his safety goggles, took a steady stance, and aimed at the silhouette target twenty-five meters away.
He pulled the trigger.
*Bang—!*
A massive roar exploded in the stall, far exceeding the sound of the Glock.
A powerful recoil surged through his arms, yet it was slightly lighter than Mike had expected.
It seemed the system had not only reduced its weight but also optimized the recoil to make it more manageable.
Regardless, the sound, the flash, and the power still retained the characteristic shock of a Desert Eagle!
A clear bullet hole appeared in the chest of the target.
Mike steadied himself, flexed his fingers, and pulled the trigger repeatedly.
*Bang!
Bang!
Bang!*
He deliberately controlled the rhythm, feeling the vibration of the gun’s frame.
Shell casings clattered as they were ejected, hitting the ground.
After seven rounds, Mike pretended to have emptied a magazine.
He stopped shooting and pressed the button to retrieve the target paper.
“My god, you can shoot a Desert Eagle that steadily?” She unceremoniously squeezed Mike’s arm, seemingly wanting to see if his muscles were real.
Mike put the gun down and flexed his wrist.
It felt fine.
Aside from the most broken feature—no reloading and infinite ammo—this system Desert Eagle was fundamentally no different from a high-quality standard version in terms of recoil, accuracy, sound, and appearance.
This reassured him but also made him realize that the weapon itself wasn’t omnipotent; everything ultimately depended on the person wielding it.
“Like I said, you know my strength,” Mike said nonchalantly.
He pretended to put the Desert Eagle back into the gym bag, returning it to his system space with a thought.
Sarah’s attention was still on the target paper, and she didn’t notice anything unusual.
The two rested for a few minutes, then took turns firing the Glock twice more.
As they left the range, Sarah seemed very excited.
“I didn’t expect that to be so much fun!
We can come back next time.” Getting into the car, Sarah buckled her seatbelt.
“But your sudden urge to practice, and even getting a beast like a Desert Eagle…
is it because of yesterday’s case?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Mike started the car.
“Being more prepared is never a bad thing.
Remember those junkies I told you about?
They really are more brazen than I imagined.”
Sarah nodded thoughtfully and didn’t ask any more questions.
On his night off, Mike acted alone again.
This time, he brought his miniature camera and repeated his previous reconnaissance route, climbing the fire escape of the apartment building and setting up his equipment in the same spot.
Two hours later, while the night was silent, Mike retrieved the camera.
He spent the night reviewing the footage.
An hour into the video, he discovered there weren’t two guards in the warehouse yard, but three!
The third person seemed much more alert, unlike the laziness of the first two.
However, he didn’t participate in moving the goods; he only looked out from the window when there was movement in the yard, revealing only a silhouette.
Perhaps this man wasn’t a guard?
More importantly, he observed an inconspicuous camera located near the roof on the side of the factory building.
The security measures here were more troublesome than he had anticipated!
After finishing the video, Mike opened the vehicle data regarding the black Ford van on his computer.
He then pulled out a sketch that looked like a child’s doodle, lit a cigarette, and began to think with a frown.
Mike didn’t usually smoke because he was afraid of accidentally touching a “laced” cigarette, but he would occasionally have one when he was worried or deep in thought.
The “Drug Den Cleanup” task couldn’t be delayed much longer.
However, with his current abilities, completing the task seemed like a pipe dream.
His only advantage was the system.