Yan Xiyan finally understood what had been clawing to break free from within her—it was desire. A burning, relentless desire to grow stronger. To become perfect.
"Ha-ha! Not afraid, are you, girl?" Grandpa Yan chuckled, catching the gleam in her eyes as she stared at the guns lined neatly before her. His tough, weathered face cracked into a smile. "These aren't toys. Once loaded, they're deadly."
Yan Xiyan shook her head and smiled. "I'm not afraid. Sergeant Zhang said a gun only truly belongs to you once you've bonded with it. Only then can it help you protect your comrades in battle."
"Smart man. To bond with a weapon, you must understand it," Grandpa Yan said, his eyes glinting with approval.
He stepped forward and picked up an assault rifle. As he expertly dismantled it, his voice rang out with a commanding tone, "N70AB2. Part of the Kalashnikov AK-101 series. It uses NATO 5.6mm rounds, designed by the famed Soviet gunsmith Kalashnikov. Also known as a submachine gun."
His hands moved swiftly, disassembling the weapon with practiced ease. Tools clinked against metal. Within five minutes, the assault rifle lay in pieces across the desk.
"How many parts did I remove?" he asked abruptly, gesturing to the scattered components. "Tell me the number."
From the moment he touched the gun, Yan Xiyan's lesson had begun.
She leaned in slightly, her eyes scanning the table. "That was the last piece you set down… this one was the 47th… and that was the 74th. In total, you dismantled 80 pieces. Did I get it right, Grandpa?"
Dead-on.
After three months of intense training, Yan Xiyan had developed a razor-sharp focus. Both Sergeant Zhang and Grandpa Yan loved to test her without warning, so she had learned to stay alert at all times.
Grandpa Yan laughed heartily. "Not bad. You've got a sharp eye. But recognizing the parts is just the beginning. You also need to know what they do."
He picked up the pieces again, explaining as he went. "The 47th part is the reset spring lock. When the bullet fires, the bolt jams a narrow channel, preventing reset and allowing continuous fire. And the 74th part is the gun buckle, which is used to…"
Piece by piece, he walked her through the mechanics. Though Yan Xiyan had once known nothing about guns, she was slowly absorbing everything.
All day long, Grandpa Yan continued dismantling various weapons while Yan Xiyan counted and memorized their components and functions.
She didn't just see different weapons—she touched them. Assault rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, bolt-action rifles, revolvers—each one she dismantled and reassembled herself, learning their purpose inside and out.
"The revolver… ejector rod… cylinder… rebound slide spring… rear sight…" Yan Xiyan recited softly, her arms full of textbooks, heading toward her private lessons.
She wasn't just studying weapons.
She was becoming one.