Chapter Forty-Four: Practicing with Moving Targets

Jiang Huan deliberately drew their attention to the group that had taken over the police station.

She hadn’t expected results so soon.

But on her second visit to Captain Guan for training, he told her that half the group had already been apprehended. The other half refused to cooperate with the authorities and seized opportunities to escape.

“This is a hidden danger. We’ll keep pursuing their whereabouts, but with this bitter cold, our efficiency may not be high.”

Jiang Huan sensed that Captain Guan had noticed her cautious maneuver when delivering supplies.

He also conveyed a message: whatever reason she had for being wary of that group, the police station was now under their control. “With the supplies you provided, we've formed a search-and-rescue team, stationed at the police station as our base. At least this side is relatively safe.”

Jiang Huan knew that if her younger brother begged to go out again, she could let him walk within the safe zone.

She would never let her brother exhaust himself for survival, yet she was aware that remaining sheltered in an ivory tower was not wise in the apocalypse.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

Jiang Huan had fired thirty rounds today, nearly a hundred over two days, gaining proficiency with these firearms.

What she had never touched in her previous life, she was slowly mastering now.

“That’s enough practice for today. We’re planning a small martial contest—if you’re interested, you can watch,” Captain Guan offered.

Of course Jiang Huan was interested.

Thanks to her donation, word had spread among the security team. Everyone knew about this wealthy, kind-hearted young lady, and now, with her present, their competition was all the fiercer.

Jiang Huan noticed a man whose back was slightly hunched and asked Captain Guan, “Aren’t soldiers required to maintain proper posture? Why is he...?”

In the arena, this man, despite his slight stoop, was agile and had already knocked down two opponents.

He caught Jiang Huan’s attention.

“He used to carry out special missions. Exposure to gunfire caused trauma, and he wasn’t suited for other posts. I recruited him as an instructor, but now he’s a key member of the search-and-rescue team. Don’t judge his posture; it’s a mark left by years of special operations. For those missions, they chose soldiers with average looks and unremarkable builds. Honestly, having him is a stroke of luck for me.”

“You want him to teach you?” Captain Guan asked. Just as with shooting, Jiang Huan was quick to seek guidance from this former sharpshooter.

Jiang Huan waved her hand, “No, not now. I can’t handle that level of training yet. I’ll build up my strength first, then think about learning a few moves.”

Her physique was tougher than most ordinary girls, but if she faced a professional, she’d be hopelessly outmatched.

Besides, hand-to-hand combat and shooting required different skills.

Seeing it was almost time, Jiang Huan made her farewells.

Captain Guan told her that she could practice moving targets and tactical roll-and-shoot tomorrow. “Moving targets consume more ammo. I’ll apply for another hundred rounds for you.”

“Thanks.” Jiang Huan headed to the garage to retrieve her delivery van.

Among the military trucks and snowmobiles, her home-delivery van stood out conspicuously.

As she slowly drove toward the gate, a boy darted out from the roadside—it was the monkey who had spoken up for her last time.

Jiang Huan stopped, leaned out of the driver’s seat, and immediately noticed Monkey’s face was covered in bruises.

“Hey? What happened? Got into a fight? Fell down?”

Monkey pretended it was nothing. “Just fell.”

Then he asked, “Sis, do you still need gold and the like?”

“Yes, I’m always collecting. What’s up, new supply?”

“It’s those guys who ran when things got dicey last time. They didn’t dare sell to you before, but seeing you come and go at the base and your good relationship with Captain Guan, they’ve changed their minds and want me to connect you.”

Jiang Huan understood, “You took a finder’s fee, didn’t you?”

Monkey scratched his head and admitted it.

“They’re not my teammates. If the deal didn’t work the first time, I’ll still buy the second. As long as the goods are genuine and what I want, their character or attitude toward me doesn’t matter.” She wasn’t making friends—she had no moral requirements for business.

This was her agreement to continue trading.

Monkey was overjoyed and said he wouldn’t charge a commission this time. Jiang Huan smiled, “You dared to come to me after the commotion at the base last time—how could I begrudge you your commission? Go ahead, I’ll wait twenty minutes.”

Monkey brought several people in ten minutes, including two Jiang Huan hadn’t seen before.

“They used to be wives from wealthy families. They’re here to trade their jewelry,” Monkey explained simply.

Jiang Huan finished exchanging goods with the merchants, then turned to the two newcomers. One offered gold, the other jade. Jiang Huan rarely accepted jade, and honestly didn’t know much about it, but she still gave a fair price.

Monkey knew a lot, at least about exchange rates in the official base. A typical jade bracelet could fetch up to six hundred pounds of rice; ordinary ones could trade for a few dozen pounds.

She suddenly wondered what a bracelet worth six hundred pounds of rice would look like.

After completing the exchanges, Jiang Huan took two bags of instant noodles and two self-heating meal boxes from her van and handed them to Monkey.

“This is too much.”

“Take it. Consider it payment for keeping an eye out for me. By the way, I’ll buy valuable things like antiques and branded handbags, though I can’t offer much for the handbags.”

“Got it. Only the second-generation women in the base buy branded bags for food, so the price is already low.”

“Alright, see you~” Jiang Huan, having spent some time, sped up her return to the apartment complex.

Just after parking, two people squeezed into the back seat of her van. “Drive quickly!”

Jiang Huan was confused. Who were these two?

“Ah, it’s urgent—we need to see a patient. You’re Miss Jiang who goes out searching for supplies, right? We need your car.”

Jiang Huan pulled out the keys and put them in her pocket. “The complex allows borrowing bikes for visiting patients, but my private car isn’t for public use.”

Her attitude made the pair frown, but they said nothing and got out.

Jiang Huan parked her van in the garage and went upstairs to eat lemon fish hotpot with her brother, paired with fragrant long-grain rice—a true delight.

After dinner, she dumped all the items she’d brought back from the base into the sorting machine, earning over two thousand points.

The next day, she brought two packs of cigarettes before heading downstairs.

Since she needed help with moving targets—someone to pull ropes, release balloons, and so on—it wouldn’t be right to ask people to work for free.

Just as she was about to sit, a sudden intuition made her bend at the waist, suspending her body above the seat.