Courtyard House: Home Alone

The scenery outside the city was completely different from that inside. Gone were the towering city walls and dense houses; in their place stretched endless fields.

Although it was late autumn and most of the fields were bare, a few stubborn wild grasses could still be seen swaying in the cold wind.

Smoke curled from the distant village chimneys, and the faint barking of dogs added a touch of life to this desolate land.

Fortunately, there wasn't much snow this year, and the road was relatively easy to travel. Lin Yifan avoided the villages and ran towards the mountains to the north. After about two hours, he arrived at a secluded mountain valley.

The area is densely wooded, with jagged rocks and a very treacherous terrain. The snow on the ground has long since melted, making it an excellent place for hiding and practicing shooting.

He first carefully surveyed the surroundings and, after confirming that there were no signs of human presence, began to test the spatial collection ability. His current mental range was about two hundred meters, so he decided to start collecting and placing stones from two hundred meters away.

He first selected some targets, from small to large, with the largest stone weighing about 300 pounds. Then he retreated to a distance of 200 meters, focused his attention on a small stone, and silently chanted "collect." The small stone instantly disappeared from its original spot and reappeared in his spatial dimension the next second.

Then, he gradually increased the size of the collection and found that at a distance of 200 meters, the maximum weight that could be collected and released was about 50 kilograms.

He then shortened the distance to the target and found that when he shortened it to 100 meters, the maximum weight he could collect and throw was 100 jin (50 kg), and when he shortened it to 50 meters, he could collect 150 jin (75 kg).

If his hand touches it, he can easily store a large rock weighing several thousand kilograms in the mountain valley into his space; however, the distance he can throw it out is only about ten meters.

After completing the test, he began practicing the accuracy of his throws, precisely placing stones and tree trunks in the space to designated locations. From an initial deviation of half a meter, he eventually managed to make fist-sized stones fall steadily into a tree hole. The precision of his mental control improved rapidly with each practice session.

Two hours later, Lin Yifan had beads of sweat on his forehead and looked somewhat tired, but his eyes were getting brighter.

He could clearly feel that after this intense training, his control over his mental power had reached a new level. Not only was the speed of receiving and releasing mental energy faster, but the distance was also showing signs of breaking through two hundred meters.

After a short rest and some spiritual spring water, Lin Yifan began today's main event—shooting practice.

He took out the captured Type 38 rifle from his storage space, carefully inspected the bolt, barrel, and magazine, and after confirming that everything was in order, he took out a few bullets and loaded them into the magazine.

He chose a tree trunk twenty meters away as his target, took a deep breath, recalled the shooting techniques he had learned from movies and books, held the gun with both hands, and aimed at a burl on the tree trunk in a straight line.

"Bang!" A gunshot suddenly rang out in the silent mountain valley, startling a flock of birds into flight.

The bullet struck the soil next to the tree trunk, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"It's not that easy after all." Lin Yifan was not discouraged. In his previous life, he had never even touched a real gun. He was already doing well just to fire a bullet.

He adjusted his breathing, aimed again, and this time he was more focused, his finger slowly and evenly pulling the trigger.

An hour later, after a box of bullets was emptied, Lin Yifan was able to barely hit the tree trunk within a half-meter diameter.

Although there is still a long way to go before achieving accurate shooting, it is already a pretty good result for a novice who is handling a gun for the first time.

He rubbed his slightly sore shoulders and the numbness in his hands, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. There were still plenty of bullets in the storage space, enough for his practice.

Suddenly, he remembered the descriptions in the novels he had read before his transmigration. Could he also use his mental power and his current strong body to achieve the ability to hit anything he wanted?

"This is worth a try," he said, taking out another clip and loading the bullet into the magazine.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He held the gun in his right hand and steadily supported the barrel with his left, his sharp eyes locking onto a fist-sized rock a hundred meters away.

This time, he didn't rush to pull the trigger. Instead, he slowly extended a portion of his mental energy, like an invisible tentacle, gently "wrapping" the gun and the bullet that was about to be fired.

As he channeled his spiritual energy, Lin Yifan felt as if he had established a strange connection with the rifle in his hand.

The slightest vibration of the gun, the swaying caused by breathing, and even the faint flow of air were all clearly perceived by him. He could "see" the subtle shifts in the barrel and "feel" the state of the bullet inside the chamber.

"Now!"

Lin Yifan's heart stirred, and he precisely guided the gun with his mental energy, correcting the deviation caused by his breathing, and gently applied force with his right index finger.

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out, but this time, Lin Yifan's smile was even brighter.

The bullet did not deviate from the target as before, but hit the rock precisely, sending fragments flying!

"It's done!" Lin Yifan was overjoyed. Although it had consumed a lot of his mental energy, leaving his head slightly throbbing, this initial success undoubtedly proved that his idea was feasible.

The combination of mental strength and physical control can indeed greatly improve shooting accuracy!

He didn't stop. While the feeling was still there, he quickly changed the magazine and continued practicing. This time, he no longer relied solely on the traditional three-point aiming method, but instead infused his mental energy into the process, constantly making fine adjustments and feeling the subtle differences in each shot.

Bullets were fired one by one, the sound of gunfire echoing through the mountain valley. At first, the strain on his mental energy made it difficult for him to continue, and his shooting accuracy was inconsistent. However, as he practiced more, he became more and more proficient in using his mental energy, and the strain gradually decreased.

When another magazine was emptied, Lin Yifan was already able to hit an area the size of a bowl with all the bullets from a distance of 100 meters, and occasionally even hit his chosen small target with precision.

Such a rapid pace of progress would probably leave any veteran speechless.

"Hoo..." Lin Yifan put down his rifle, exhaled a long breath, his forehead was covered in sweat, and he was somewhat tired, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

He knew he had inadvertently found another powerful point of convergence. Mental power could not only be used for spatial manipulation and deployment, but also to aid in combat—it was like adding wings to a tiger!

He leaned against a large tree to rest, recovering his depleted mental energy while pondering how to further enhance this ability.

Perhaps we could try shooting from a greater distance, or even while moving? Or perhaps we could use our mental power to directly influence the trajectory of the bullet? Thinking of these possibilities, Lin Yifan's heart was filled with anticipation.