Leaving the storefront, they came to the reception area of the Shooting Club, which was still filled with firearms.
As a shooting club, although many people came with their own firearms for practice, others didn't bring their own or simply wanted to try a variety of guns, so the selection of firearms was also very comprehensive.
The only shortcoming was that the shooting range was indoors, with the longest lane being only twenty-five meters, meaning the farthest target could only be shot from twenty-five meters away. As such, they could essentially only practice shooting handguns.
Even though it was a weekday afternoon, there were still a few people at the range; of the twelve lanes, at least more than half were occupied.
John was a member of this club, and he was well acquainted with every staff member. So, as he walked with Gao Guang towards the range service counter, he immediately said impatiently, "Let's get this little brother a few guns—oh, he's a rookie."
The staff member fist-bumped John, adjusted his belt, and then pointed behind him to the gun rack, saying, "Our gun rental fees vary, generally from twelve to twenty US Dollars, .22 caliber bullets are one US Dollar for four rounds, 9mm bullets are nine US Dollars for ten rounds…"
Before the staff member could finish, Gao Guang took a breath, looked at the guns on the rack, and said without hesitation, "I want a Glock 17…"
"Alright, anything else?"
"I want a Glock 18, Glock 19, Glock 21, Glock 26, Glock 31, that's it for the Glocks."
Gao Guang listed the standard models of Glock confidently, and then the staff member sighed, smiling as he said, "Glock fan, okay, the full Glock standard series."
Gao Guang continued, "1911s—I want the Colt Standard, the Commander, the Government, a Kimber 1911. Do you have a Cabot 1911?"
The staff member was a bit taken aback, while John couldn't help but say, "Are you crazy? A single gun rental is twenty US Dollars, no matter how many rounds you shoot, it's twenty US Dollars!"
Gao Guang swallowed, then continued, "I want that Beretta M9, and that CZ75, oh, and HK, I want the USP9, USP40, USP45, wait, there's also SIG P226, P229, SIG 1911, and the FN57, and…"
"Enough!"
John pressed a hand onto Gao Guang's shoulder and exclaimed in disbelief, "Have you lost your mind?"
Gao Guang was still searching his mental firearms database, wondering if he had missed any world-famous guns, but the look in John's eyes made him feel like he was being seen as a fool, which made him reluctantly hold back.
"Just these for now…"
John, resigned, said, "Wait a second, the rental for all of these guns could buy you one! Wouldn't it be better to pick two guns, shoot a few dozen rounds, and use the rest to buy a gun?"
"You don't understand the psyche of a military enthusiast, especially one who can only satisfy themselves with pictures and fantasize about what shooting feels like," Gao Guang replied.
If there was a need to spend money, how could it compare to the thrill of shooting all the famous guns?
Gao Guang looked resolutely at the gun rack and said, "I want to shoot them all!"
The staff member looked at John, who after pondering with a furrowed brow, finally waved his hand and said, "Give it to him. If he's willing to pay, let him shoot; that's how rookies are!"
"How about a handgun combo? Shoot once with every type of handgun, each gets ten rounds, including the target paper and lane usage fee. Uh, we have a total of fifty-seven varieties of handguns, all for only 999 US Dollars."
Tempted by the package deal, Gao Guang couldn't refuse.
"Thanks, I'll take the combo!"
As the staff member went to prepare the guns, John spoke with a face full of resignation, "Are you an idiot? That money is enough to buy a nice handgun. You're like a miser when buying clothes, but now you're blowing a thousand US Dollars on ammunition; do you know what it feels to shoot over five hundred rounds in one go?"
"Have you ever shot 57 types of handguns?" asked Gao Guang.
John thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"But after today, I will have," Gao Guang said with a smile.
John was stunned, then he exhaled and said, "Heh, rookie, I hope you won't regret it."
There would be no regrets, not even if it killed him.
They entered the shooting range, put on noise-cancelling headphones, and watched as the staff began to set up handguns and ammunition on the table in front of the lanes. Gao Guang was thrilled.
After everything was ready and the safety briefing concluded, Gao Guang finally picked up a Glock 17, aimed at the target ten meters away, and after carefully aiming, fired a shot.
The bullet hole was right at the center of the target paper. John glanced at it and said, "Not bad, but are you planning to shoot until it gets dark at this pace?"
Complaining that the pace was too slow, Gao Guang thought it made sense. With over five hundred rounds, shooting them so slowly would really drag out the time.
Since the ten-meter target was quite close and he had already shot the Glock 17, Gao Guang stopped aiming so carefully. He approximately aimed at the center of the target paper and opened fire with a rapid staccato.
This time the gunshots were very dense. After the ten bullets were all fired, Gao Guang couldn't wait to look at the target paper, but before he could see clearly, he heard John say with great surprise, "Oh?"
Gao Guang looked towards John, who gave Gao Guang a serious once over, then said very seriously, "You've never shot a gun before?"
"No, I haven't."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true!"
John stroked his chin with his hand, his face somber as he said, "Buddy, you should be honest. If you're lying, it's going to be troublesome."
Gao Guang didn't understand why John would say that. He looked at the target paper, and after a careful glance, he found that although the shooting was rapid, it seemed that all ten bullets had hit near the bullseye, with the farthest shot not even going outside the seventh ring.
The staff member called out loudly, "Rapid fire, nicely done, keep it up."
Gao Guang picked up a Glock 19, which is the compact version of the Glock 17. He felt the handgun for a moment before quickly emptying another ten bullets.
"Very nice, buddy, you're shooting well."
The staff member praised Gao Guang again, then handed him a Glock 18.
All the guns shot earlier were 9mm in caliber, standardizing the caliber made loading bullets more convenient.
Without wasting any time, Gao Guang fired off another ten bullets. After this time, the center of the target paper became one large hole, but there wasn't a single shot outside of the seventh ring.
The staff member turned to John with an astonished expression, "You said he's a newbie?"
John kept a straight face without saying a word, then he suddenly said, "Change the target paper, then shoot at the 25-meter target."
For pistol shooting, 25 meters is a considerable distance. At this distance, to shoot all ten bullets within the seventh ring, it's not just a test of shooting skills but also the accuracy of the handgun, because the target paper for handguns is very small, and at that distance, it's unlikely for the bullets' natural spread to stay within the seventh ring.
Gao Guang picked up a SIG P226 from the table. Holding the gun in one hand, he aimed at the distant target, then felt the gun trembling too fiercely in his single hand, a slight shake would make the target paper unable to stay steady within the sights.
Bracing with his left hand, the stability was much improved when holding the gun with both hands. After carefully aiming, Gao Guang fired a shot.
This time, it was not easy to see the bullet hole on the target paper with the naked eye, but the automatic target reporting system immediately gave the result.
"Miss."
As the reporting sound rang out, John exhaled and then he started to laugh, saying, "Continue, keep shooting."
Pistol shooting at 25 meters is really challenging, especially for someone who is handling a gun for the first time, it's even harder. Gao Guang aimed again, and this time the bullet hit the target, grazing the edge of the sixth ring.
The staff member called out loudly, "The impact point is a bit low, but for a rookie, that's a decent shot, continue."
He fired five shots in a row, all carefully aimed, with the best one hitting the seventh ring and three missing the target altogether, but these five shots took longer than the previous thirty.
John became impatient again, he made a gesture to speed up, and Gao Guang also felt he was indeed too slow, so he let go of his left hand and fired five shots in rapid succession with just one hand.
After the five shots, Gao Guang put down the P226 and picked up an M9. Then, he heard the staff member say with extreme astonishment, "Buddy, are you... really a rookie?"
Of those five shots, the worst hit the sixth ring, and the best hit the ninth ring, but the thing was, Gao Guang had fired them one-handed, and they were rapid fire too.
The staff member didn't believe Gao Guang was a rookie, and neither did John. He looked at Gao Guang with a strange expression in his eyes.
Gao Guang himself was curious, and he said with great surprise, "Why is it that I can't shoot accurately when I aim carefully, but hit the target when I shoot casually?"
John sighed, then said very calmly, "Continue shooting."
Gao Guang held the gun with one hand and once again rapidly emptied ten bullets. The speed wasn't particularly fast, but it was definitely faster than anyone else at the range.
This time, the best result from the target report was the eighth ring, with the worst within the fifth ring.
There were no bullseyes, but this was pistol shooting, and what was more important, if these ten shots were aimed at a person, all the impact points would be concentrated within lethal areas of the torso, not a single shot missed.
After the target report came out, the staff member broke the silence first. He shrugged and said, "Um, what can I say, well done."
But John just sighed and then looked at Gao Guang with a serious face, "Shooting well can mean two things: first, you're a genius; second, you lied. Now tell me, which one are you?"
Gao Guang thought for a moment, then said very seriously, "Then I must be a genius."