Barney and Christmas led William along the softly lit path of the castle, heading towards the newly constructed shooting range. The range alone had cost William a hefty £1 million.
Upon reaching the shooting range, Barney used a combination of a password and fingerprint scan to unlock the door. He joked with William, "Boss, you'd better set up your password and fingerprint now. Otherwise, when we leave tomorrow, you might have to spend a fortune to get someone to crack open this alloy door."
William laughed heartily. With Barney's help, he set up his password and fingerprint, then took a moment to seriously inspect the shooting range.
The range featured a two-story armory and a basement with a double-layered security system. Inside were the weapons William had previously sent to Barney: five AWP sniper rifles, ten M4 carbines, dozens of Glock 17 and 18 pistols, and several classic revolvers. There was also a significant amount of ammunition, grenades, flashbangs, smoke bombs, surveillance equipment, bulletproof vests, helmets, night vision goggles, and walkie-talkies. Among the impressive collection was an M239 machine gun and a Stinger missile launcher with four spare rounds.
This was not just William's armory but also his weapon collection room, where he planned to store all his favorite weapons. After changing all the armory's passwords, William took out a Glock 17 and a magazine, heading to the firing range.
The range had three lanes: 50 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. For longer distances, shooting would have to be done outdoors. William loaded the magazine into the Glock and began shooting down the 50-meter lane with rapid succession, bang, bang, bang.
Barney and Christmas watched through binoculars as William's shots consistently hit the bullseye on the target. When William finished the magazine, Barney gave him a thumbs-up. Rapid firing while maintaining precision and hitting the bullseye each time was impressive even for seasoned mercenaries. For someone like William, who lived in the ordinary world, it was extraordinary.
Barney offered some advice to William, "Boss, you have a natural talent for shooting. Your stance and accuracy are excellent. With more practice, you'll be able to increase your shooting speed. Often, the outcome of a fight depends on who shoots first. If you're faster, you live, and they die."
William was aware of Barney's remarkable quick draw skills. "Barney, could you teach me your quick draw technique? I know you can empty a revolver in less than a second. Could you show me how it's done?"
Barney, not one to shy away from sharing his skills, especially with someone he respected like William, agreed readily. Quick draw required a lot of innate talent; some could achieve a draw and shoot in fractions of a second, while others, no matter how much they practiced, could never reach such speeds.
"Boss, quick draw is essentially about drawing and shooting faster and more accurately than your opponent. While there are techniques involved, it largely depends on natural talent and practice. Those with strong natural abilities can become experts easily. Quick draw demands a lot from the wrist," Barney explained. He stood beside William on the shooting lane, flexed his wrist, and quickly drew his revolver, which he kept tucked in his waistband for concealment. Within the blink of an eye, Barney had fired all six rounds, the shots resonating in rapid succession.
William was amazed. It was the first time he had seen someone draw and shoot so quickly at close range. The six bullet holes on the paper target were testament to Barney's incredible speed. William realized that if he were up against Barney, he wouldn't stand a chance. He might not even have time to conjure a magical shield before being hit.
William thought that even if he did manage to put up a shield, the power of the revolver's shots was such that taking six of them would likely be fatal.
"Damn," William thought to himself, "I need to be more careful. Magic doesn't make me invincible. Getting shot is just as deadly for me as anyone else."
Though William's shooting skills were quite good, he couldn't match Barney's speed. In a duel, drawing quickly was crucial, but precision was even more important. William knew he wouldn't foolishly face someone head-on; with his mental scanning abilities, he could always aim for a surprise attack.
Determined to improve, William went back to the armory and grabbed a short-barreled Smith & Wesson revolver. Following Barney's instructions, he practiced drawing and shooting rapidly. It took him about four seconds to empty the cylinder, which made him blush when he saw Christmas smirking at him. Quick draw seemed simple but proved to be challenging in practice.
Seeing William's slight embarrassment, Barney smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, boss. You did well for your first time. It took me over ten years to master this. You're already doing better than Christmas did after his first few tries."
Christmas looked at Barney in disbelief. He hadn't practiced quick draw nearly as much. But seeing Barney glare at him, he nodded reluctantly and added, "Yeah, boss, you're doing great. With more practice, you'll get much better. I have confidence in you."
"Shut up, Christmas. My God, you're terrible at comforting people. Don't talk to me like that; it makes me want to punch you," Barney retorted.
William knew Barney and Christmas were trying to cheer him up. But he also realized during practice that he didn't have a natural gift for quick draw. His coordination was poor; his hands felt clumsy, unlike the ease he felt when handling the Glock with one hand.
Reflecting on Barney's swift movements and comparing them to his own awkward attempts made William feel a bit frustrated. Checking his watch, he noticed it was almost 11 PM. "Enough for today. I'll practice more on my own. If I have questions, I'll call you, Barney. It's late; we should rest. You're leaving tomorrow, so get some sleep."
William returned the weapons to the armory and, with Barney and Christmas, headed back to the castle. As they walked, William sensed Caesar and Toll Road patrolling the grounds and said to Barney, "No need for patrols tonight. There's no security concern right now. Let everyone rest."
Although Barney wasn't sure why William was calling off the patrols, he followed his boss's instructions. He took out his walkie-talkie and announced, "Caesar, Toll Road, take a break. No more patrols tonight. We need to be up early for our flight to the USA tomorrow, so get some sleep."
Caesar's voice came through the walkie-talkie, "Understood."
After shaking hands with Barney and Christmas and exchanging goodnights, William headed upstairs to his room.
After a shower, William lay in bed for about three hours. At around 2:30 AM, he dressed quietly and slipped out onto his room's balcony. Using his mental scanning abilities, he checked his surroundings. The castle grounds were silent and devoid of any movement. Satisfied, he strolled towards the large angel statue in the garden.
Upon reaching the statue, William followed the instructions his grandfather had given him. He opened a hidden compartment between the statue's feet and without hesitation, retrieved a sealed container about half a meter long and the size of a dinner plate, placing it into his storage space. He then restored the hidden compartment to its original state and carefully surveyed the area again before heading back to the castle.
Being cautious not to make any noise, he made his way to the basement. Using the password, he unlocked the castle's secure room. Once inside, he scanned the safe room thoroughly with his mental powers, ensuring it was safe. After resetting the passwords and security settings, William finally retrieved the sealed container that Henry had hidden for ten years from his storage space.
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