Raccoon City has a rare outdoor shooting range, about a hundred meters long, with various metal targets. It's operated by an elderly, white-haired man named Hawke, who owns a gun shop. Javier is a regular customer there, having bought a lot of his gear from him when he first arrived in Raccoon City.
As for why they didn't just go to the police station to practice?
Are you kidding? They were ditching work! If they got caught, they'd be in for a scolding, so it was better to go on their own.
"Ding-dong—!"
"Afternoon, old man Hawke. How's business today? Hehe, I was hoping to borrow your range and try out a few guns. Would that be a problem?"
Javier pushed the door open, making the bell ring, and immediately tried to butter up the old man.
Meanwhile, Rebecca was slightly surprised by the small but well-stocked gun shop. She hadn't expected to find such a quaint, old-fashioned store in Raccoon City. The walls were lined with many World War II-era firearms, suggesting the owner was a retired veteran.
In a corner sat a white-haired old man wearing a baseball cap and glasses, squinting at a yellowed book. He'd frown whenever he couldn't read the words. Seeing customers enter, he slowly put his book down.
But when he saw it was Javier, the old man's face became impatient.
"..."
"It's you again, you rascal. Last time you conned me out of a gun and a bunch of bullets, and now you're back for a freebie. 'Borrow the range to try a gun'—I think you two are just skipping work. When did the S.T.A.R.S team get so lazy?"
After seeing Javier, Hawke noticed Rebecca beside him. Both were well-known members of the famous S.T.A.R.S team, almost everyone knew them. Since it was during work hours, Hawke didn't even need to guess to know they were playing hooky.
Hearing this, Javier and Rebecca just smiled awkwardly.
Rebecca used to be a good kid, but ever since Javier corrupted her, she'd become more and more listless, always slacking off, showing up late, leaving early, and just punching the clock. Of course, her sense of justice was still there, but if there wasn't a mission, she'd turn into a total couch potato.
"Work's just boring,"
"There are so many police officers in Raccoon City, there's no need for the two of us to patrol. By the way... I plan to buy some firearms. Now, old man Hawke, you should let me use your backyard's outdoor range, right?"
Despite the awkwardness, Javier shamelessly continued to sweet-talk the old man. Rebecca, meanwhile, was busy admiring the antique guns on the wall—classic weapons that had served in World War II. The signs of use were obvious, and with their blackened wooden stocks, Rebecca could almost smell the gunpowder from the battlefield.
She didn't particularly like guns but was very interested in their history, so she was captivated by these legendary relics.
Javier, on the other hand, slowly pulled a large wad of cash from his wallet. At the time, the dollar bills weren't as green and hadn't depreciated as much, so they were quite valuable. Javier was spending freely; the S.T.A.R.S team, funded by Umbrella, had a very decent salary, so it was a good job that allowed him a little splurge.
"..."
"I'm going to buy two large-caliber Magnum handguns, the famous Desert Eagle and the Smith & Wesson M500 revolver. I remember you have both in your display case. Oh, and I want an old Winchester 1887 lever-action shotgun. And give me plenty of extra ammo."
Gazing at the guns in the display case, Javier immediately named the ones he wanted and handed the cash to Hawke.
Staring at the large pile of money on the table, Hawke cleared his throat and discreetly pocketed it. In that moment, Javier's image in his eyes completely changed. This rascal might be crafty sometimes, but he could also be quite generous.
After all, who would turn down money? Right!
However, when he heard that Javier wanted to buy these high-powered weapons, Hawke showed a confused expression.
"Magnum handguns and a shotgun? Did the S.T.A.R.S team get a big case? Are you going hunting for wild beasts in the mountains? Have there been reports of man-eating bears or boars lately?"
It wasn't just the Winchester 1887, which was cool but had no better practical use than the police's riot shotguns. What were a Desert Eagle and an M500 revolver for?
Did the police force need weapons like that?
Police firearms were valued for being accurate, reliable, and safe. Glock handguns, for instance, were very popular because they were simple and dependable. But Magnum handguns like the Desert Eagle...
While they might be brilliant in video games, they were completely impractical for combat. They were too heavy, weighing two to three kilograms, like carrying a brick. They were hard to carry and had a small ammo capacity. Because of their power, the bullets were so large that they could only hold seven rounds. They also had a massive recoil, making it difficult to aim, which made them unsuitable for combat.
Therefore, aside from their beautiful design and power, the Desert Eagle was basically just a hunting pistol, rarely used in a firefight. The same went for the even larger-caliber M500 revolver; it was practically useless unless you were hunting alien monsters in space. Its terrifying power, capable of killing a wild elephant with a single shot, was its only advantage. Everything else was a disadvantage.
Most people who liked them only did so for collecting. So Hawke couldn't understand why Javier, an S.T.A.R.S member, would buy these useless things. Weren't the guns at the police station good enough?
Even Rebecca looked confused. It was true—since when did the police force need these kinds of large Magnum handguns?
However, Javier told Hawke he was right. They really were going to hunt large beasts. Weren't zombies basically large beasts? The power of a regular handgun was unlikely to have much effect on some of the zombies, but a Magnum handgun... it was likely to take them down with a single shot. So what if it was hard to carry? At least the margin for error was high.
Even if a shot didn't hit the head, hitting a leg or body could instantly shatter it, leaving the zombies unable to move. This was why Javier was so fixated on Magnum handguns.
Besides...
The M500 revolver was the ultimate weapon in the first Resident Evil game. Although it was later replaced by the RPG, it was a reliable firearm in the early stages. He couldn't miss out on such a divine weapon—he was a man who suffered from "insufficient firepower phobia."
"Well..."
"Something like that. We really do need to hunt some large beasts. Anyway, old man Hawke, are you selling or not? There's no reason to turn down money, so hurry up and get them ready. I'll wait for you at the range. Let's go, Rebecca!"
Waving his hand, Javier didn't dare tell Hawke or Rebecca the truth about Raccoon City. He could only be vague. After all, who knew if they would think he was crazy if he told them the secret? Until the zombie virus really broke out, no one would believe him.
"Tap-tap-tap..."
"Tap-tap-tap..."
With the sound of their footsteps, the two soon arrived at the gun shop's backyard, an outdoor shooting range with a distance of about a hundred meters. It was set up with various metal and wooden human targets for testing gun accuracy. There was also a table with all sorts of handguns and bullets, suggesting Hawke himself did a lot of shooting.
Seeing the range, Javier's heart started to pound. This was his first time shooting. He hoped he wouldn't mess up. The title of "shooting genius" belonged to his predecessor, not him. So Javier was incredibly nervous, afraid of something going wrong.
"Nice range..."
"So, 'shooting genius,' want to shoot a moving target? How about a random moving target at fifty meters? I'll throw the discs for you," the girl immediately got excited. She came out of nowhere with a pile of red discs and spoke to Javier enthusiastically. Her cunning expression clearly showed that she was trying to make things difficult for him.
After all, shooting a moving target from fifty meters was no small feat.
The effective range of a handgun is generally only about 50 meters. While it can still be lethal at 100, 200, or even 300 meters, the accuracy is uncontrollable. Handguns were created for quick self-defense in close-quarters encounters, not long-range shooting.
Furthermore, handguns don't have scopes. Using red dot or holographic sights like in games is rare because it makes them difficult to carry. The advantage of a handgun is its convenience and simplicity. If you attach a bunch of gadgets to it, you might as well just use a submachine gun.
Therefore, shooting a moving target at fifty meters without a scope was incredibly difficult. It required years of training and extensive experience to hit the target accurately. This was clearly Rebecca trying to challenge Javier.
After all, she herself sometimes couldn't even hit a stationary target at fifty meters, let alone a moving one. Not even other members of S.T.A.R.S were necessarily that good. So this was a genuine challenge. Rebecca wanted to see how great this "shooting genius" really was. If he made a fool of himself, she could finally get a good laugh at her partner's expense.
Serves that jerk right for making me so lazy... Rebecca muttered to herself, secretly pleased.
However, despite the girl's taunts,
Javier was unbothered.
He immediately drew his Glock 22. His back straightened, his legs were taut and spread wide, and he held the gun with both hands as steady as a level. He stared straight ahead at the stationary target fifty meters away. The headshot line was crystal clear.
Just by taking his stance, Javier exuded an aura of immense confidence.
It was his predecessor's confidence in his "shooting genius" title, the rich shooting experience accumulated over the years. Even though Javier had only been in control of the body for a short time, he could still feel the instinctive shooting talent within him.
Additionally, Javier discovered something even more terrifying about this body: its improved dynamic vision. In his past life, he'd played so many games that he was a near-sighted mess, unable to distinguish between people and animals from a hundred meters away. But his predecessor's vision was around 5.3 (or 20/10), which was incredible. Capturing the hit point of a target fifty meters away was perfectly clear.
This instantly gave the novice Javier a huge boost of confidence. I am Javier, and Javier is me! That's right!
"Rebecca,"
"A moving target at fifty meters is too boring. How about a moving target at a hundred meters? Today, I'll show you what a true shooting genius looks like," Javier said arrogantly and cockily. He raised the black Glock 22, tilted his head, and spoke to Rebecca, who was waiting for him to embarrass himself. You dare to challenge your brother Javier? If I don't give you a performance, you'll never know what a real shooting genius is!
"..."
"Huh...?"
On the other side, Rebecca's expression froze at Javier's boastful words. A moving target at a hundred meters? This guy was really bold. While she admitted his shooting stance was incredibly cool and confident, wasn't he being a bit too arrogant?
Shooting a moving target at a hundred meters, with a handgun, using only iron sights, and from such a long distance required calculating the bullet drop, raising the muzzle, and even predicting the random direction of the disc. This was something even a real special forces soldier would find difficult to do!
But Rebecca quickly agreed.
She didn't believe this guy who was only a year older than her was really that good. She scoffed and ran to the far end of the range with the discs.
"Bring it on!"
"Don't go blowing your own horn and then get blown away, Javier. Otherwise... I'll have a good laugh at you for a long time!"
Holding a few red discs, Rebecca quickly reached the end of the range, which was about a hundred meters long—the perfect distance. Once there, she immediately held up a red disc and waved it at Javier, as if asking if he was ready.
Seeing this, Javier slowly returned to his shooting stance, his expression suddenly serious. At that moment, he felt like the "shooting genius" had possessed him. His eyes were fixed on the red disc in Rebecca's hand.
Rebecca, seeing that Javier was ready, shouted "Go!" and threw the disc into the air, where it flew rapidly and randomly.
"Here it comes...!"
Seeing the red disc in the air, Javier muttered to himself. He slightly raised the muzzle, trusting his body's instincts, and squeezed the trigger. He didn't believe in his own ability, but he absolutely believed in this body's ability.
"Click!"
"Bang—!!!"
A muffled shot rang out.
The trigger was pulled, and the bullet instantly shot out.
It followed the beautiful arc Javier had imagined, heading towards the red disc. A loud bang exploded in the air.
The next second...
"Plop...!"
The red disc landed steadily on the grass.
There wasn't a single trace of a bullet hit on it, not even a dent. It landed on the ground completely intact. Instead, there was a new bullet hole at the far end of the shooting range. Without a doubt... Javier had embarrassingly missed the target. He didn't even come close to hitting the moving target at a hundred meters!
Javier: "..."
Ahem.
Seeing this, Javier felt so embarrassed he could have dug out a three-bedroom apartment with his toes. All his previous arrogant boasting had been for nothing. He had just been completely humiliated.