Then he turned to James, who was looking at him with pleading eyes.
"No!" said Xiao Ping as he entered through the door ahead of James.
"Cheapskate!" James took out 250 paper bronze liras, handed them to the waiter, and quickly followed Xiao Ping inside, who stood at the door and looked at the room where the description "spacious" was an understatement... it was enormous in the truest sense of the word.
Gunshot sounds filled the place, with many targets pierced by numerous shots from the pistols held by the people in the room.
Xiao Ping and James advanced to the target area they had signed up for with a weekly subscription and saw many people there quickly changing targets.
"Good evening, sirs!" one of them approached and bowed to Xiao Ping and James.
Do the waiters here have a passion for bowing to others? Xiao Ping scoffed to himself and said, "I need ammunition!"
"At your service, sir... but of what kind?" the person asked.
"What kind? Wait a moment!" Xiao Ping wanted to take out that fugitive's pistol, but James's words made him involuntarily stop.
"You need ammunition? Do you even have a pistol?!" said James as he took out an ordinary silver pistol from his coat.
"If you think I don't have one?" said Xiao Ping, looking at the silver pistol dismissively.
"If you have a pistol better than mine, I'll pay for dinner. If the opposite is true, you'll pay!" said James, confident of his victory. He hadn't seen Xiao Ping with any pistol other than the black Abyss one. He thought that even if Xiao Ping had won five gold coins, it wouldn't be enough to buy a high-quality pistol.
It seems James holds a grudge for what I did to him before. He's even upset because I didn't pay for his club subscription! And he even dared to make a bet with me! You'll see. Even though we agreed not to place bets between us, let's consider this a competition! Xiao Ping thought to himself as he looked at that person and said, "You witness this, waiter!"
"Yes, sir, I am a witness!" said the waiter, looking at Xiao Ping and James expectantly.
"So... it's time for it to come out into the open!" said Xiao Ping as he took out that strangely designed pistol.
"Finally, I feel some relief after taking it out! By the way, is there any seller for holsters here?... Hello, are you listening to me?" Xiao Ping was talking to the waiter, but he found him with his eyes wide open, staring at the pistol in his hand. Even James didn't move at that moment upon seeing the pistol.
"Uh... sir, where did you get this pistol from?" the waiter asked in a halting, stuttering voice.
"I... inherited it from my deceased grandfather!" Xiao Ping showed a sad expression on his face to cover his lie.
"Ping! Who are you?" asked James as he approached Xiao Ping.
"As I told you before, I don't even know who I am!" Xiao Ping replied with complete coolness.
James approached him, put his hand on his shoulder, lowered his face to the ground, and said in a weak voice: "How in the world do you possess such amazing things? This isn't fair!" said James, then added: "But men keep their promises, so I will abide by the promise. I have lost!" Saying that, he removed his hand from Xiao Ping's shoulder, stepped towards the target, and fired at it several times... hitting the head each time with his pistol.
"Sir!" said the waiter as he... caught his breath and said: "I'm afraid we don't have the ammunition for this antique pistol in your hand, sir. So, my apologies!"
Damn, I really underestimated this pistol. But what is its origin to make the stubborn James admit his loss so quickly and also make a waiter in this place stammer!? Xiao Ping thought to himself and said: "It's alright. Can you give me any pistol here with enough ammunition for training?"
"Right away!" The waiter quickly left and brought 150 ordinary bullets with a pistol and gave them to Xiao Ping, who in turn stepped towards his targets next to James.
He began loading the ammunition and aiming, but each time he suffered from the pistol's recoil... to the point where it hit his skull. If it weren't for his automatic body regeneration... he would have suffered serious damage.
Ping! Try to balance and stabilize your body! At that moment, James transmitted words into his mind.
Balance my body? Xiao Ping asked while rubbing his temples in pain.
Yes, imagine you're walking on a tightrope and need to balance all parts of your body so you don't fall off the rope... exactly like an acrobat! said James.
Alright, let's go with your words then... said Xiao Ping as he balanced his stance and posture, steadied the pistol in his hands, and then...
Bang!
He fired a bullet that passed through the left side of the target.
Oh, your advice actually works! Xiao Ping said, surprised.
Of course it works! When have my tips not worked for you? asked James.
I don't remember you giving me tips about anything except now? replied Xiao Ping.
What?
....
After ten minutes, Xiao Ping left the shooting range with James, and they went to the cafeteria. The waiter from before guided them to their seat before they sat down and chose a dinner consisting of heavily spiced lamb with some crispy potatoes and also red wine.
Xiao Ping used a knife to cut the lamb before spearing it with a fork and putting it in his mouth to taste the rich, delicious spices. James mimicked Xiao Ping's movements and realized the taste of lamb was many times better than pork.
"This is very good, even though it's hard to eat while wearing a mask!" said James as he took a bite of potato before washing it down with wine.
"You're right!" said Xiao Ping as he ate a piece of lamb and took the crispy potatoes into his mouth. He said: "The taste is rich and crispy, so I'll give the chef 9/10 for his cooking!"
"And why not give him a full 10?" James asked Xiao Ping.
"Because I didn't feel his dedication to cooking! But there was hatred and malice for my order of lamb and potatoes in this cafeteria." Xiao Ping replied with full confidence to James's question. He looked towards the entrance and saw a beautiful-looking girl wearing a mask from which a phoenix wing protruded... walking next to a person wearing a black mask covering his face. His hair was curly and blond, and his red eyes appeared from behind that mask.
They were looking for a place to sit, but couldn't find any empty seats except for James and Xiao Ping's table.
Please don't... Xiao Ping wished they wouldn't come to his table.
But at that moment, when his gaze met that of the person with the black mask and red eyes, that person stopped, grabbed one of the waitresses in the cafeteria, and pointed towards Xiao Ping and James's table.
Damn! Xiao Ping cursed inwardly, but he looked coldly at the two people who approached him with quick, calculated steps. Then that person said without bowing: "We couldn't find a place to sit, so we'll bother you! Our apologies!" Saying that, he sat at the table opposite Xiao Ping, and that girl sat opposite James.
"No... no need to apologize!" said Xiao Ping with a fake smile, then added: "Make yourself comfortable!"
"Thank you!" said that person to Xiao Ping.
"So we should leave!" said Xiao Ping as he wanted to stand up, but he felt a force pulling him towards the seat, so he sat down.
Xiao Ping used his ability and wanted to sever the energy thread, when that person said: "Don't take this as a hostile act... All I wanted to show you is that I want you to sit and chat a little!"
"How can I not take it as a hostile act towards me when you're restraining me by force? It seems you're flirting with death!" asked Xiao Ping.
"Believe me... I just want to chat... I bear no ill will towards you!" said that person, denying Xiao Ping's words.
"Chat my a—" Xiao Ping was about to finish his words when James grabbed him by the elbow, interrupted him, and said: "Let's hear what he wants to say!"
"Alright, say what you have!" said Xiao Ping with complete coolness.
"I apologize again if I bothered you. All I want to ask is: How do you see Prince Eduardo from your point of view?"
Here he is, showing off in front of unofficial power holders! thought the girl as she looked at the person wearing a wooden mask.
"Prince Eduardo?" asked Xiao Ping.
"Yes. About Prince Eduardo!" replied that person.
"From which perspective? And do you want a philosophical viewpoint or a superficial one?" asked Xiao Ping of the man whose and James's finished plates had been taken away and replaced with high-quality wine.
"From the perspective of his influence on the country! Also, it doesn't matter if it's a philosophical or superficial viewpoint as long as it represents what you see in him." said that person.
"Alright, as you wish." Xiao Ping snapped his fingers and looked at that person, who in turn looked back at him.
He also gave that masked girl beside that person a look, but he felt a strange coldness seep into the wine glass and onto the table when he looked at that girl.
James just kept drinking the wine slowly, as the situation didn't concern him. He only gave occasional glances to the person in front of him and that girl.
...
End of Chapter ~ To be continued