"...This time, let's see who's the head of this household!"
"Alright, little Berry, hehe, today I'll show you my strength, big sister!"
That day, Berry and V walked out of the room together. Both had their guns holstered, walked a certain distance apart, and their tones were confrontational, neither willing to yield to the other.
This wasn't because their married life was disharmonious, but because Berry had been angered by V's "you can't win" attitude that morning.
The story begins with this skyscraper. This ring-shaped skyscraper was a vertical community. Besides the hundred or so residents packed inside, it also housed various shops, from tobacco stores to gun shops, all fully equipped.
And today, the gun shop that Berry and V frequented was holding a shooting competition, and the owner sincerely invited the two old customers to participate.
It was at this moment that the two lovers had a conflict.
The reason was V, who adopted a big sister attitude, insisting that Berry couldn't beat her.
This really angered Berry.
What kind of person was Master Bai? She was a quick-draw expert with 15 points in reflexes, Pooh, a quick-draw.
How could she, with all her skills, lose to a V-sister in boxer briefs?
Therefore, she had to show off and tame this V completely.
Looking at V's confident expression, Berry wrinkled her small nose and snorted coldly.
Little V, do you really not know what a Blackhand is? Do you dare to compete with her?
But V, looking at the bristling Berry, just scoffed.
This little Berry, though soft-spoken, was also very stubborn. If she didn't show some big sister demeanor, would she really be seen as someone who lives off others?
Who was she? She was a rising star in Night City's Mercenary world. Do you know what a superstar is? When she was in the Nomad tribe, she spent more time holding a gun than holding Berry.
Today, she had to make this little Berry face reality and bully her until she cried little pearls.
Thus, the two left the room in a tense standoff, walked through the stairs, and went to the gun shop on the lower floor. From the looks of it, a winner had to be decided today.
"Hi, Berry, V, uh..."
"Hello, you two, uh, this..."
In the hallway, neighbors who knew the two, staying in the hallway gym and by the vending machine, originally wanted to say hello, but seeing their angry faces, they were forced to stop talking.
These two sisters usually stick together like conjoined twins, so why are they so confrontational and tense today?
This morning, people in the building were already busy. The small shops and stores in the wide hallways of the floor had also opened. A smell of food mixed with the old concrete smell of the building filled the hallway.
Of course, people living here had long been used to it.
Everyone was busy with their own affairs, shouting and yelling, working hard in the cramped gym with old, chipped second-hand equipment. Although crowded, it was a scene of vitality, with everything budding.
Isn't that what everyday life is about?
Of course, there were also some discordant things mixed in.
Some patrolling NCPD officers were putting body bags over a few Homeless men who had frozen to death last night. A cordon had been set up, and an officer was using a PDA to record another death file.
But this small interlude did not affect others' enthusiasm for life. Everyone was busy with their own affairs and did not pay attention to what was happening in this corner.
"Hi, V, Berry, you two came at the right time, the competition is about to start!"
As Berry and V stepped into the gun shop around the corner, the owner, Wilson, greeted them.
In the gun shop, on the wall behind the barbed wire counter, there was a dazzling array of long guns and short guns. Although Berry thought the quality wasn't very high, the quantity was abundant, and all models were available. At Wilson's, you could even get a pump-action rifle from the last century.
This guy sold everything just to make money!
The owner, Wilson, was a greasy middle-aged fat man. Pfft, what am I saying? Speak politely, call him Big Bro Fat.
But no matter what, Wilson was plump, and the jacket he wore could barely contain his big belly.
They say a broad mind makes a fat body, but this is clearly a misunderstanding, because this guy gets anxious more easily than anyone.
However, he was a good person, at least the accessories and goods he sold to Berry before were still worth the price.
In addition to the gun shop, Wilson also specially partitioned off a small half of the room as a shooting range for customers to test guns and sell some bullets.
Hmm, it seems that making money is indeed hard. This guy used all his tricks to rake in money.
In fact, Wilson's target shooting competition for the neighbors this time was also to boost the sales of his hidden firearms. For this, this stingy guy even brought out some good stuff as prizes for the competition.
"Alright, we're ready. When does the competition start?"
V asked, giving her girlfriend a provocative glance.
This little Berry didn't believe her, so she had to show off her big sister skills to let her know that her big sister's handiwork was equally impressive in any situation.
"Yeah, hurry up and start, I can't wait!"
Berry looked at V's irritating expression, feeling very annoyed. She was holding back, just waiting to see V's regretful face.
She decided that she would make V pay tonight.
With her eighteen points in technical ability and fifteen points in reflexes fully activated, she had to make this annoying V show a broken expression.
"Hmm, why do you two seem more anxious than me?"
Wilson stroked his belly, looking at the two confrontational people with a puzzled expression.
"Forget it, you two go in and get ready to start. If you're going to go easy, do it now. Come on, it's about to begin."
Go easy? There's plenty of time for that tonight.
Berry bared her little white teeth at V and led the way into the shooting range.
And V, it turned out, was thinking the same thing.
Looking at Berry, with her neck held high like a defiant little swan, V felt a tingle.
She had to bully her until she cried little pearls, and then she would hold her in her arms and comfort her properly.
As a younger sister, shouldn't one just act spoiled in her older sister's arms?
Thinking this, V also walked into the shooting range.
"...Alright, let's see how many people there are? Only six? Oh my god, forget it, what can I do?"
There were only a sparse few people standing at the shooting lanes. Wilson covered his forehead, looking helpless.
"The rules are simple, right? Aim at the target, hitting it counts. Any target is fine, even the one next door."
"Whoever hits more wins, I mean targets, hitting the person next door doesn't count."
"Oh, right." Wilson stretched out a finger, giving repeated instructions.
"Only small caliber guns are allowed. Don't bring out some assault rifle or rocket launcher to show off. Do you understand?"
"First prize is a pistol, but, uh... it's a really great pistol, super great, I'm telling you."
"Alright, enough talk, let's get started!"
Wilson, with his hands on his waist, urged them on.
After V and Berry entered the shooting range, they pushed past contestants wearing strange accessories and walked straight to the two innermost targets, each pulling out a pistol.
"Little Berry, it's still not too late to bow your head now. If you lose later, don't come crying to big sister, okay~"
Pulling out her star, V didn't forget to launch a mocking offensive at Berry next to her.
"Screw you! If I win, you'll be calling me big sister!"
Berry bared her sharp little canine teeth, her momentum unyielding.
Are you kidding? Her losing? If she lost, she'd eat the vitamin b in her hand.
Of course, if she really lost, then she never said it.
"I'm starting the countdown, three, two... hey, hey! What's wrong with you?!"
Wilson saw the contestants in position and was about to shout 'start', but when he saw one of the contestants' actions, he almost choked.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! Why did you pull out a double-barreled shotgun? I said, only small caliber guns are allowed!"
Wilson clutched his head, exasperated, his face flushed with anger.
"Oh... I forgot to bring my gun. It must be in my other jacket."
A kid in a thick jacket, looking like an American big boy, stood there holding a double-barreled shotgun almost as thick as his arm, looking embarrassed.
And the shop owner, Wilson, was almost choked unconscious by this kid.
"What's that holster for?! Can't you get a holster?! Get out of here right now!!!"
Wilson was clearly furious, pointing at the door and shouting.
"Damn, buddy, don't yell... I'll go, can't I just go..."
The big boy, whose face still had acne, looked humiliated, lowered his head, and walked away dejectedly.
"Talking to a brick wall, so annoying."
And it wasn't just Wilson whose rhythm was disrupted; Berry, who had already loaded her gun and was about to shoot, almost pulled the trigger.
This unexpected interruption made her feel a knot in her chest, almost unable to calm her anger.
The mocking laughter beside her made her even angrier; she knew it was V.
Berry gritted her teeth and glared back.
This was just an accident; she really wanted to win too much.
After this unexpected interlude, Wilson sighed and straightened his stomach to count down again.
"Alright, three... two... one..."
"Start!"
At the command, all the contestants held their breath and pulled the trigger.
Berry, who had long been ready, also did; she held the gun with both hands, adopting the isosceles triangle shooting method.
The isosceles triangle shooting method is the most mainstream stance for holding a gun with both hands. Those who adopt this shooting stance naturally spread their legs, slightly bend their knees, lean their body slightly forward, hold the gun straight with both hands, and have their off-hand palm wrap around their dominant hand holding the gun.
This shooting stance greatly ensures shooting continuity while also taking accuracy into account. In fact, most other contestants also adopted this stance.
However, shooting posture is only a small part of influencing victory or defeat; more importantly, it depends on arm muscle memory and brain reaction.
On this point, Berry never admits defeat.
Therefore, Berry fully immersed herself in the humanoid target in front of her, pulling the trigger the instant the target appeared.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
For a moment, the shooting range was filled with gunshots, the sounds of various automatic pistols and revolvers echoing endlessly.
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