Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s

”Oh! Awesome!” Ning Chenyang jumped three feet high in excitement, ”That’s great, I can go down to watch the shooting today!”

.........

Outdoors, the shooting range.

In the afternoon, warriors from the Division Reconnaissance Battalion conducted light weapon shooting training.

Qin Jian came with Liu Jing and several combat staff to observe the warriors’ shooting exercises, and Ning Chenyang followed enthusiastically.

This was his first time here.

Everything around was unfamiliar and new.

This shooting range was newly built, with an expansive view, and beyond a hundred meters stood tall poplar trees, with targets already set up, just waiting for the warriors to start their training.

In the shooting zone, the warriors stood ready, awaiting the leader’s command to shoot.

The drill instructor briefly explained the shooting essentials to the warriors once more, then with the instructor’s command, ”First group, get ammunition!”

The warriors headed to the ammunition area and meticulously loaded bullets into their magazines.

Then, as instructed, they lay down, loaded the magazine, and fired, accompanied by the sound of gunshots, each bullet hitting the target paper.

Qin Jian stood outside the shooting zone, squinting at the warriors’ orderly shooting, nodding approvingly, ”Looks pretty good.”

”Hmm. Did you hear the shot report? The score is quite high,” said Liu Jing, the political commissar.

”Not bad. I’m quite satisfied with what I hear,” Qin Jian smiled slightly, ”Select a few good ones for focused training!”

”It’s hard to keep them! You know, since the first Special Forces team was established in ’88, our Division Reconnaissance Battalion has almost become their seed player training base. As soon as you train some good soldiers, they’re all snatched away,” Liu Jing chuckled.

”Understood,” Qin Jian nodded, ”But training must still be done.”

”Indeed.”

Ning Chenyang watched from the side, feeling his blood boil. He eagerly said to Qin Jian, ”Dad, can I touch the gun too? I want to fire a few shots first!”

”Hahaha! I say, Old Qin, your son is certainly not an ordinary little fellow! So young and already wanting to touch a gun!!” Liu Jing smiled kindly, patting Ning Chenyang’s little shoulder, ”Kiddo, this gun isn’t something you can just touch casually. You’re still young and can’t handle it yet.”

Ning Chenyang, hearing this, looked up at Liu Jing defiantly, ”Uncle Liu, don’t underestimate me! My accuracy is very high too.”

”Oh? Have you shot a gun before?” Liu Jing asked.

”No,” Ning Chenyang shook his head, ”But I have a slingshot. I’m very accurate with it! Whatever you ask me to hit, I can hit it.”

His brother, Ning Chenguang, gave him a slingshot before leaving, and lately, he hadn’t parted from it. Anything he saw, he’d hit with it, achieving perfect accuracy.

”That impressive? Shall I test you?”

”Alright.”

While a shooting competition was underway at the range, outside, a test for little Ning Chenyang began.

”Look, see there? All you need to do is knock down that leaf on the tree twenty meters away, and you win!” Liu Jing felt Ning Chenyang was so self-confident, he chose a small challenge for him.

”Easy,” Ning Chenyang retrieved his slingshot from his pocket, loaded a pebble, aimed at the leaf, and with a swift release, the stone hit the leaf precisely, causing it to drift down. He proudly looked at the leaf and asked, ”How about it, Uncle Liu? Can I touch the gun now?”