Chapter 53: Only an A

Seeing his opponent holding the knife in a reverse grip gave Arthur some confidence. Not a lot, but certainly more than before.

Thick arms meant strong muscles, but too much strength often resulted in slower speed. Special forces soldiers had developed muscles, but no one from their ranks would turn their muscles into clunky masses in the gym.

Hans’s arms didn’t look like a dead muscle, but given their size, he would be slower, so Arthur felt he had an edge in speed.

Though traditional forms might not be practical in a real fight, Arthur’s years of martial arts training had certainly paid off. His speed— not in running, but in movements like punches and kicks—was far superior to the average person.

Additionally, his body coordination and the accuracy of his moves were exceptional.

Forms might not work in real combat, but that depends on the opponent. Arthur couldn’t beat a fighting expert, but against an untrained ordinary person, he could at least take on three.

Fast, precise, and strong, even if not powerful, Arthur was still far superior to those who didn’t train at all. This has been proven many times over.

The biggest drawback was his lack of strength, but his greatest advantage was his speed. With a knife in hand, Arthur could mitigate his weaknesses and maximize his strengths.

John had designed a short knife combat routine for Arthur that allowed him to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. Rubber’s short-knife combat training was also effective against someone with an army background like Hans.

Moreover, Arthur had a special move designed specifically to deal with Rubber. It should work on Hans too, but it could only be used once. Using it on Hans today would make it useless against Rubber in the future.

However, the fight with Rubber was an internal matter, whereas dealing with Hans was more pressing now.

So, Arthur decided to use his special move.

"Come on, you army trash."

Arthur stood about three meters away from Hans, holding the knife in his right hand and beckoning with his left, taunting, "You’re from Delta Force, right? Are you proud of your service? Oh, sorry, you must not be. None of you have any remarkable achievements."

Hans’s eyes widened immediately.

Danny and Blue looked shocked, while Rubber, standing beside Arthur, exclaimed, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Arthur glanced at Rubber and then apologized, "Oh, I forgot you were in the army too. Sorry, that was collateral damage. No, wait, it wasn’t. We’re good brothers, but the army… heh."

Rubber angrily retorted, "What do you mean by ‘heh’?"

Arthur waved dismissively with his left hand, "We’ll talk after the fight. Just watch and you’ll understand. I’m not saying you guys are trash, I’m saying the army’s combat system is trash. From a professional standpoint as a military enthusiast, the army’s combat system is far inferior to the Marine Corps."

Hans was already furious. He squinted his eyes and resumed his starting stance for short-knife combat.

Blue, standing by, said in astonishment, "You, a military enthusiast, are speaking from a professional standpoint? What qualifies you to say you’re professional?"

Rubber shouted angrily, "Is that idiot Bottle Cap saying this? Moron!"

Hans didn’t say anything. He just pursed his lips and took a step forward.

Arthur bent down, assuming a starting stance for short-knife combat, but his knife was held in a normal grip. He then called out to Hans, "Come on!"

No more words were needed. Any further would have a counterproductive effect.

Hans was ready to strike. His body moved slightly, then he sprinted forward at full speed. This was the move determined by their distance, but the moment Arthur sensed Hans was about to strike, he lunged at Hans first.

Hans’s rhythm was disrupted. If he also rushed forward, clashing with Arthur, it would be hard to tell who won.

Moreover, Arthur’s lightweight and quicker start allowed him to complete the lunge faster than Hans.

What happened next was simple. As expected, Hans used his left hand to push Arthur. He intended to grab Arthur with his left hand, while his right hand held the knife, ready to stab or slash. Most likely, his left hand would restrict Arthur’s movements while his right hand would swipe the knife across Arthur’s throat.

Arthur’s task was straightforward: he needed to see if Hans would defend the army’s honor by strictly adhering to the army’s popular combat methods to counter his strike.

Arthur's taunting paid off. Hans predictably blocked with his left hand and slashed with his right, just as Arthur had hoped.

Arthur spun around, dodging Hans with a maneuver that looked almost like a circus trick, then quickly thrust his knife towards Hans’s back.

Hans remained mostly stationary, just leaning forward slightly, while Arthur covered over two meters in a quick lunge, executing a feint, a spin, and landing a strike on Hans’s back with the training knife.

It was as if they were performing a choreographed routine. Even if Hans's movements were a bit off, it shouldn’t have been this easy for Arthur to get behind him and land a blow.

The air seemed to freeze. Hans stood still in his pose.

To make sure everyone saw clearly, Arthur raised the training knife and struck Hans’s neck again, then glanced at the stunned Danny and gave Hans another jab with the knife.

Hans jumped as if shocked, glaring at Arthur with eyes that seemed to blaze with fury.

Hans hadn’t been angry before because he was confident he could teach Arthur a lesson and humiliate him with the outcome. But now, Arthur had validated his taunts with action. He had first insulted Hans with words, then used his skills to metaphorically slap Hans repeatedly.

In other words, Arthur had successfully shown off.

The atmosphere grew tense.

Blue frowned, pondered for a moment, then shrugged and wrote an A on the form.

Seeing Blue’s action, Danny leaned over and asked, “Isn’t an A too high for combat? I think a B is more appropriate.”

Hans said in a low voice, “Again, this time I’m going to beat the crap out of you!”

Arthur, smiling broadly, apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. Please don’t take it personally. It was psychological warfare. I used insults to provoke your anger, ensuring you’d stick to the army’s basic combat techniques to teach me a lesson, allowing me to counter them specifically. I have great respect for the army. I’ve never served, so how could I have any prejudice against the U.S. Army?”

Arthur needed to explain quickly before the grudge deepened.

However, his explanation seemed to infuriate Hans even more. Hans exclaimed, “You think I’m the kind of idiot who loses his mind at the slightest provocation? You’re insulting my intelligence?”

Arthur felt that actions spoke louder than words, but now wasn’t the time to say that.

Danny, meanwhile, turned to Blue and said, “Hmm, this guy is quite cunning. An A for combat is accurate.”

The cunning one was John, not Arthur. Knowing what had transpired, Rubber stood beside Danny, deep in thought, then said, “I’ve always said this guy is great at combat. He practices Hua Xia kung fu. You understand kung fu, right? Now you’ve seen it. He’s strong.”

Hans clenched and unclenched his fists several times but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to challenge Arthur again.

Danny smiled and said, “Your combat skills are impressive. Now let’s see your shooting in action. What kind of shooting scenario do you need?”

Arthur thought for a moment. He didn’t feel his shooting required any special setup, but since shooting at stationary targets wouldn’t showcase his skills, he opted for moving targets.

“I can shoot moving targets, or I can move while shooting at fixed targets.”

Shooting moving targets was certainly more challenging, but shooting while moving was even harder.

Upon hearing Arthur’s answer, Danny nodded, “That’s indeed the most practical shooting method. Alright, let’s head to the IDPA shooting range. Show us what you’ve got.”

The training camp had an IDPA shooting range. IDPA stands for International Defensive Pistol Association, where shooters need to run and shoot, firing two shots at each target, to have the bullet holes as close together as possible.

IDPA and IPSC are two practical shooting associations with similar content. Arthur was familiar with these, though he had never competed in them.

The IDPA range in the training camp was large, and all targets were steel, eliminating the hassle of frequently replacing paper targets. Arthur didn’t need to strictly follow IDPA rules; he just needed to use the range to showcase his shooting skills and abilities to the fullest.

The IDPA range instructor was also present, closely observing Arthur's shooting process and results. This was his job, so he was naturally very proficient.

Arthur would use his pistol, holstered at his waist. With the sound of a beep, he immediately sprinted into the shooting range.

The range was filled with human-shaped silhouette targets. Arthur drew his gun, chambered a round, and fired at the first target with a bang, then shifted his aim and fired at the second target.

These targets differed from stationary ones because the shooter needed to move. Most shooters would move, stop, quickly fire from a stationary position, then move again, stop, and continue shooting.

In other words, normal shooters stop moving before firing to ensure accuracy. IDPA shooting combines time and shooting accuracy. Speed is important, but shooting precision is even more critical. After all, running around wildly without hitting the target makes the shooting pointless.

Arthur was different; he shot while running, never stopping.

Running fast, shooting fast, and shooting accurately. Not a single shot missed. Each time he fired, the steel target rang out with a loud clang.

After four shots and four clangs, Danny's expression changed, becoming serious.

If one had to nitpick, it would be that Arthur didn't fire two consecutive shots at a single target to ensure the bullets hit close together.

After seven shots, Arthur reloaded while running. He pressed the magazine release, attempting to insert a new magazine as the old one fell, but somehow, the magazine slipped and fell to the ground.

Still running, Arthur had to stop, turn back, and pick up the fallen magazine, almost causing the instructor running with him to twist his back.

Seeing Arthur’s mishap while reloading, Rubber raised his hands and covered his eyes. He couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Arthur picked up the magazine, reloaded it, and immediately fired two shots at a nearby target, then ran and fired two more shots at two steel targets.

The last four targets were spread out in different directions and positioned behind windows.

This specialized training camp was designed for advanced units and law enforcement agencies. The final four targets were already challenging, but there was an even more difficult shooting method: moving targets.

Danny suddenly pressed a button on the table beside him, causing the steel targets behind the four windows to start moving.

The movement wasn't particularly fast, but the targets could only be shot at the moment they passed by the window, and the windows varied in size. The largest was like a regular window, while the smallest was just a one-foot square.

Arthur aimed at the two targets on the right first. He had to wait until the targets were in the right position to fire, shooting twice in quick succession. Then he turned to the targets on the left, firing just as the fleeting opportunity presented itself, hitting the target and moving behind the small window.

With another loud clang, Arthur stood straight.

He had hit three targets while stationary, achieving 100% accuracy, but there was still one target left. However, Arthur couldn't shoot anymore.

"Keep shooting!"

The shooting instructor beside Arthur seemed particularly anxious, but Arthur replied helplessly, "I'm out of bullets. I only have two magazines..."

The instructor, holding the timer, hadn’t stopped the clock. He quickly drew his gun from his waist and handed it to Arthur, shouting, "Shoot!"

The instructor made a serious error, violating basic shooting competition rules, but this wasn’t a competition or regular training; it was an assessment.

Arthur took the instructor's gun with his left hand since his right hand was occupied. Without adjusting his stance, he swung his left hand as the target moved into view and immediately fired.

With a clang, the instructor stopped the timer and, with a satisfied expression, shouted, "Twenty-six seconds!"

Danny let out a soft breath, saying, "Wow."

Blue hesitated for a moment, then said, "No doubt, a genius."

Rubber laughed, "He hasn't practiced, guys. He hasn’t practiced shooting before!"

Hans frowned, but after a moment of contemplation, his expression softened. He quietly said, “He is indeed a genius, without a doubt. His combat shooting is superior to target shooting. It’s not just fancy shooting tricks; it’s real combat shooting.”

Danny nodded, saying, “He reminds me of Bob Munden—0.0175 seconds to draw and fire, two seconds to reload and shoot ten rounds...”

Before Danny could finish, Hans, Blue, Rubber, and George started shaking their heads.

“Bob is a trick shooting master, and Mad Dog’s draw isn’t that fast.”

“You’re ignorant about shooting. Mad Dog and Bob aren’t even the same type.”

“Bob’s draw is quick, but he doesn’t shoot while moving...”

Realizing he was being isolated and that his comparison was inappropriate, Danny paused for a moment before continuing, “Then it’s like Oliverio. Their shooting styles are very similar.”

Hans kept shaking his head, saying, “No, Oliverio’s shooting style is rapid-fire, but Mad Dog shoots continuously while moving. It’s not the same.”

At this point, George suddenly spoke up, “Are you talking about Oliverio Alfano? The former Italian military shooting instructor?”

Danny immediately replied, “Yes, that’s right. Do you know him?”

“Of course, I know him. He’s a master of close-quarters rapid fire, hitting four targets in 0.7 seconds. He’s the king of rapid-fire in combat. But Mad Dog and Oliverio are indeed different. Mad Dog isn’t as fast, but he shoots without slowing down while moving. Their styles are different.”

Danny shrugged and said, “Oliverio can also shoot while moving. He once conducted shooting training for the Flames of War company. I’ve seen his shooting style. Alright, since none of you agree with my comparison, then who would you compare him to?”

Everyone fell silent. Finally, Hans shook his head and said, “It’s different. The styles are distinct. Mad Dog isn’t as fast as Oliverio in shooting speed, but if Mad Dog truly hasn’t received professional training, then he is a genius like Bob, Jerry, and Oliverio. No, I take that back. Even if Mad Dog has been trained, he is still a genius in close-quarters shooting.”

After finishing, Hans spread his hands and said, “So, Mad Dog has no comparison. His shooting is unparalleled, or rather, he is beyond the scope of shooting theory. Can you tell me who Michael Jordan’s template in the NBA is? Or who Tom Brady’s template in football is? There is none. They are the pinnacle of their sport. How can you compare them to anyone?”

Hans gave a very high evaluation, and amidst the discussion, Arthur returned. He didn’t say anything, but seeing Rubber extend his hand, he stepped forward and gave Rubber a high five.

Blue was about to give his evaluation. He thought for a moment and said, “Pistol shooting is an A.”

Danny immediately said, “A+. I believe it’s an A+.”

Blue replied without hesitation, “But our highest rating is A. There’s no A+.”

Danny looked at Hans and asked, “What do you think?”

Hans pondered for a moment and said, “A is excellent. A+ is very excellent. But how can you use very excellent to describe a genius? Is there a higher grade, like S or SS?”

Blue said irritably, “There’s no S in the GPA system! That’s a grading system used in games. Besides, Mad Dog is just a beginner. He has talent but hasn’t reached the S level yet, right?”

After speaking, Blue put away the board and said, “I’m the evaluator. You can’t interfere with my work. In my grading system, there’s no A+, and certainly no S! So his grade is A, just A!”