Li Xin followed Mo Feng into the inner room.
Mo Feng tapped twice with his cane on the bronze beast sculpture shaped like a rooster with wings, then tapped another statue three times.
A hidden panel in the wall slid open, revealing a spacious training hall where over a dozen Night Watchmen in uniform were hard at work.
"Put in more effort during training, and you’ll live longer," Mo Feng said with a grin, clearly proud of himself. "Don’t look down on me just because I’m missing a leg — at least I’m still alive. That’s called experience."
"What weapons are you used to?" he asked.
"Captain Mo, back in the Underground City, I mostly hunted with crude clubs made from beast bones. I’m not picky about melee weapons, but I do like knives — they look cooler. I’m also really interested in the Hextech Anti-Demon Rifle. I saw the Captain use one once," Li Xin replied.
"Haha, you’re a funny one," Mo Feng chuckled.
Even though it was their first meeting, he felt like the kid was somehow familiar.
There wasn’t a trace of rookie nervousness about him.
"Pick whatever weapon you like," Mo Feng said. "All of it’s forged from the best steel, with mythril mixed in — real quality stuff. The Hextech guns are great, but don’t rely on them too much. If you want to stay alive, skill matters more. I like knives myself. Fast, reliable, and you don’t have to worry about running out of bullets."
Weapons lined the walls of the armory, some with tags showing they already belonged to someone.
There was a whole section of Hextech psionic pistols too.
When Mo Feng caught the way Li Xin’s eyes lit up, he finally felt like a proper senior.
If the kid stayed calm through everything, he wouldn’t even have a chance to show off.
Mo Feng picked up a Hextech pistol and tossed it to him.
"The Night Watchmen are well-equipped. This is the latest 'Judgment' model —reinforced cylinder, eight mythril rounds. Try it out."
Li Xin caught the weapon with ease.
It fit perfectly in his hand, the craftsmanship flawless.
He flipped open the cylinder — eight rounds gleaming inside.
The barrel was slightly longer, the whole pistol finished in a dark golden tone, probably alloyed with copper.
Delicate runes were engraved across the surface, part of its Hextech enhancements to activate psionic effects.
"Everything here’s loaded and ready for combat," Mo Feng said. "During training, you’ll use regular bullets. The good stuff’s expensive."
He pulled out a gleaming mythril round to show him.
"Every time you use one on a mission, it has to be logged. And if you can recover the casings, all the better."
He tossed Li Xin a box of training rounds.
"Come on, let’s break you in properly."
Li Xin nodded.
"Thanks, Captain Mo."
"Haha, kid, my legs might be useless, but my hands are still sharp. Today you’re gonna see the second-best marksman among the Night Watchmen."
At the range, several trainees stopped what they were doing to greet Mo Feng with obvious respect.
"Hextech pistols have an effective range of thirty to fifty meters," Mo Feng explained. "These extended barrels are a little better, more accurate. But remember, against abyssal creatures, it’s not about range — you need to get close and aim for the weak points."
Mo Feng moved twenty meters back from the targets.
Without hesitation, he raised his pistol and opened fire.
Eight shots roared out in rapid succession, and every single round landed dead center in the bullseye.
Applause broke out across the range.
Mo Feng might have been showing off, but his skills were real.
He hadn’t even bothered to aim carefully — pure instinct shooting, and deadly precise.
Li Xin adjusted his grip on the pistol, lined up his sights, and squeezed off a shot.
There was a slight kick to the weapon, but it felt solid in his hand.
The round struck just outside the bullseye.
"Not bad," Mo Feng said approvingly. "There’s no secret to it — just practice. Pick a melee weapon while you’re at it."
Yawning, Mo Feng wandered off, leaving Li Xin to practice on his own.
Li Xin spent the entire afternoon on the firing range, getting used to the Hextech pistol’s feel.
Every weapon had its own personality, its own quirks, and the more he trained, the better he adapted.
The Hextech psionic pistol felt incredible.
When he activated the circuit, it almost felt like the weapon became part of his body.
At first, a few trainees hung around, waiting for a good laugh.
But as Li Xin’s shots grew faster and more accurate, they soon stopped smirking and went back to their own training.
Li Xin loved the heavy, satisfying impact of the shots.
If anything annoyed him, it was the slow reloading.
He needed to figure out a faster reload method.
If the chance came, maybe he could even dual-wield.
After all, what real man could say no to doubling his firepower?
When the afternoon break rolled around, Mo Feng was in better spirits, sipping a cup of red tea.
The training and logistics squads were mostly made up of former frontline Night Watchmen or family members the organization had placed here.
Training here relied on self-discipline.
Even the laziest recruits quickly learned after a mission or two.
Life was the best teacher.
Survival was the greatest motivation.
You could lecture a man a thousand times, but a single real fight taught him more than any words ever could.
Mo Feng wandered back toward the range, casually surveying the trainees.
What the hell were they doing?
He had deliberately left earlier.
After all, Li Xin had been personally picked by the Captain — it wasn’t his place to haze the kid too hard.
But the others didn’t know that.
Giving rookies a rough welcome was tradition, not bullying.
It killed arrogance early.
Especially among the young ones who might act polite on the surface but carried wild ambition deep down.
And arrogance had no place among the Night Watchmen.
"Axin," Mo Feng called out, "you’re saying using both hands improves stability?"
"It’s one option," Li Xin answered.
"When you’re on a mission, drawing your gun directly gives you faster reaction time.
Using both hands gives better control, but carrying it on your belt — while it looks cooler — can slow you down.
In the end, it’s about whatever feels fastest and most natural."
A few of the veterans chuckled quietly.
They liked the way this kid talked — clear, sharp, and without a trace of arrogance.
"You’ve got real talent, kid," one of them said, grinning.
"No wonder the Captain picked you.
I heard you’re his nephew — or maybe you’re actually his secret love child?"
Li Xin laughed.
"Aside from us both being male, I don’t think I resemble Captain Luo at all."
Everyone burst out laughing.
When they saw Mo Feng approaching again, they quickly scattered.
"You lot seem pretty relaxed," Mo Feng said, smirking. "Let’s see what you’ve really got.
Eight shots. Rapid fire. Moving targets."
This rookie was a bit cocky.
Shooting at stationary targets was basic training.
If they didn’t crank up the difficulty, he wouldn’t know how deep the water was.
"Moving targets?" Li Xin asked, blinking.
"You think monsters are gonna stand still for you?" Mo Feng snorted.
He fiddled with the controls on the wall.
The standard targets retracted with a mechanical clatter.
"You’ve got one minute. Eight targets," Mo Feng said.
"Understood, Captain Mo!" Li Xin replied.
Gears clicked into place, and with a metallic chime, the first target sprang out.
Li Xin was ready.
He fired immediately.
The next target raced across the range, but Li Xin pivoted smoothly and fired before it could disappear.
Another target dropped from the ceiling; Li Xin raised his arm without hesitation and shot it dead center.
Mo Feng watched, surprised.
The kid’s shooting stance looked a little rough, but his reactions were lightning-fast.
And judging by the clean hits, there was no doubt he was landing every shot.
Was this really a rookie?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In just over twenty seconds, all eight targets had been taken down.
Li Xin lowered his weapon and reported calmly,
"Captain Mo, all targets hit. All bullseyes."
The veterans standing nearby were stunned.
Good aim was one thing,
but hitting fast-moving targets, especially ones popping out of ceilings and corners, required a level of perception and instinct most rookies simply didn’t have.
Mo Feng coughed, trying to hide his grin.
"Not bad," he said, pretending to be casual.
"Kid’s got a little of the flavor I used to have back in the day."
He turned to the others.
"Alright, brothers, tonight we’re taking our new recruit out to see some real action.
A man’s gotta grow up sometime."
Li Xin scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"Captain Mo, everyone — today’s my first day moving topside.
It’s a big deal for my family.
I promised Aunt Fei I’d be home for dinner.
Otherwise, she might literally break my legs.
Let me treat everyone tomorrow instead."
"Haha! Sounds good," Mo Feng laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.
"But remember — around here, the seniors treat the juniors.
Your turn will come soon enough."
Everyone laughed.
They liked Li Xin.
He had skills, didn’t act high and mighty, and didn’t hide his roots.
Most of them had crawled up from the same dirt.
After all, no noble brats ever joined the Night Watchmen —
it was all blood, grit, and fighting on the edge.
Li Xin’s open, straightforward attitude made them feel like he was already one of them.
(End of Chapter)