After Wang Li's gun fired, Wang An and Mu Xueli pulled their triggers simultaneously.
Perhaps it was because Wang An's marksmanship had become naturally gifted after his rebirth, or perhaps it was because he used guns so frequently, but he had now surpassed the previous "Great Perfection" in terms of shooting, reaching an unknown realm.
As for exactly what realm that was, no one knew.
If one had to give this realm a name, it would probably be called "Beyond Great Perfection."
In any case, whenever Wang An used a gun now—whether it was a rifle or a pistol—he could essentially hit whatever he wanted. The exact point his eyes saw was inevitably where the bullet struck.
Terms like "never missing a shot" or "piercing a willow leaf from a hundred paces" were no longer sufficient to describe Wang An's marksmanship.
To be honest, the feeling was quite mystical; even Wang An himself didn't know when his shooting had reached this level.
Mainly, while his marksmanship had been incredibly impressive in his previous life, he truly hadn't been able to fire as freely and instinctively as he could now.
Wang An strongly suspected that this was the sole benefit of his rebirth.
After Wang An and Mu Xueli each fired a shot, the male Asiatic black bear in the distance vanished from everyone's sight.
Seeing this, Mu Xueli looked crestfallen and said
"Brother-in-law, it's too far. I don't think I hit it."
Hearing this, Wang An first glanced at the female bear that Wang Li had already killed, then said nonchalantly
"It's fine, I hit it. That bear definitely took a bullet."
At this distance, it was normal for Mu Xueli to miss. According to Wang An's estimation, the position where the three of them were standing was nearly 300 meters away from that bear.
At a distance of 300 meters, even a massive black bear looked like a mere dot, roughly the size of a duck.
More importantly, although the trees in this Manchurian ash forest were sparse, they still significantly obstructed the line of sight.
Hearing Wang An's words, Mu Xueli said in disbelief
"Brother-in-law, you're not bragging, are you? It's so far away that even aiming is a struggle, and you're saying you hit it?"
Upon hearing this, Wang An gave Mu Xueli a kick and said with a dissatisfied smile
"Bragging? Why would I need to brag about my marksmanship? Think about it—who did you and Lao Wu learn your shooting from? Do you really think my marksmanship is something an ordinary person can compare to?"
Mu Xueli pretended to rub her kicked backside and said with a giggle
"Look at you, Brother-in-law, I was just saying. Hehehe... anyway, I reckon Lao Wu will surpass you sooner or later."
Wang An nodded subconsciously and said
"Yeah, I reckon so too. Lao Wu's marksmanship is indeed a bit unusual."
Regarding the fact that Wang Li would eventually surpass him, it was something Wang An had to admit; the fact that Wang Li didn't blink when firing was not something a normal person could do.
Although Wang An's marksmanship had now surpassed the realm of "Great Perfection," he always believed that talent combined with hard work was the most powerful force of all.
Mu Xueli seemed to want to say something more, but Wang An immediately commanded
"Alright, stop chatting about useless things. You two keep watch; once the dogs finish tearing into it, give it the finishing shots. I'm going to see what's up with that little black bear in the tree."
As he spoke, Wang An walked toward the tree with his gun ready, while Mu Xueli and Wang Li walked toward the female bear.
Standing beneath the tree, Wang An aimed upward, but he could only see the bear's backside and a fluffy little bump above it.
Black bears actually have tails, but they are very short; even an adult black bear's tail is only about 10 centimeters long.
When combined with the bear's long body hair, the tail looks even shorter.
As for a cub's tail, it looks like a bump. To be honest, this fluffy little bump looked quite cute.
Based on the size of the backside, Wang An estimated that this little bear weighed at least a hundred pounds, which was enough for one bear gall.
After spotting the cub, Wang An circled the tree, but he couldn't find a suitable shooting point.
The main issue was that the tree was not only very thick, but the branches were also quite sturdy, and the cub was clinging to the tree with its head and feet.
If Wang An fired from below, he could only hit the bear's backside, but doing so would send the bullet into the cub's belly. Not only would this damage the internal organs, but more importantly, it might damage the bear gall.
For the sake of the gall, Wang An couldn't do that.
Just then, a gunshot rang out. Wang An instinctively turned his head and saw Mu Xueli and Wang Li giving the female bear the finishing shots. He ignored them and continued studying the shooting angle.
After another lap, Wang An finally found a shooting point at a tricky angle, though the target was the bear's paw.
After a moment's thought, Wang An decided to fire. He didn't know the condition of the wounded male bear yet and needed to hurry over.
If the bullet he fired had already killed the male bear and they didn't arrive in time, there was a high probability that the male bear's gall would dissolve.
If that happened, the loss would be significant.
Of course, if it were a "grass gall" that dissolved, it would be barely acceptable, but if a "gold gall" dissolved, he'd be kicking himself in frustration.
After the shot rang out, a piece of the cub's paw was shattered. The cub was clearly terrified, and its cries changed pitch.
Surprisingly, instead of falling, the cub climbed even higher.
He had to admit, the endurance of wild animals was truly formidable.
Without hesitation, Wang An pulled the trigger again, this time aiming for the cub's other paw.
Immediately after, a large black bundle fell from the tree, accompanied by the "crack-crack" sound of breaking branches.
Then, with a dull "thump," the cub landed under the tree to Wang An's front right.
Before the cub could stand up, Wang An pulled the trigger for a third time.
With a "bang," the little fellow, barely a year old, went straight to see the Buddha.
After confirming the cub was dead, Wang An didn't bother with a detailed inspection and shouted to Mu Xueli and Wang Li
"Xueli, stay here and retrieve the gall. Lao Wu, come with me to track the wounded bear."
(End of Chapter)