Chapter 5: Firearms Proficient!
In the conference room, Marcus explained the situation and requirements of the special operations team.
"Does anyone have any objections?" Marcus looked around.
"No, Sir!" responded a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. He was tall and athletic, with a powerful presence and the bearing of someone with military experience.
The others echoed, indicating they had no questions.
After all, they were elites from the FBI; even if they hadn't personally experienced special cases, they had heard far too many in the FBI environment.
Stevens spoke up, "Since no one has any objections, you can go back now. Marcus and I will discuss it and inform you of the results. Whether you're selected or not, we will give you feedback."
"Yes, Sir!" The seven men stood up and left the conference room.
After they left, Marcus proactively asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"
"Actually, all seven of them are fine, but the Boss only gave you three spots in the standard team, so I recommend Jackson, Rodriguez, and Williams," Stevens replied after considering, handing Marcus three files.
Marcus reviewed the files.
Stevens added, "Jackson served in the Marine Corps and distinguished himself in numerous operations. He's got combat experience that most agents here don't have. I believe you two should work well together."
Stevens then added, "Marcus, you're really lucky, the Boss is a good guy!"
Marcus inwardly thought, "Is this guy just randomly handing out compliments?"
"I also feel very lucky!" Marcus outwardly agreed.
"Rodriguez has a calm personality and a very good temperament. You can entrust coordination matters to Rodriguez; he'll definitely handle them well. Your team is newly formed, and Rodriguez's presence can avoid a lot of interpersonal issues," Stevens explained.
Marcus nodded slightly; having a level-headed person in the team could indeed ease the atmosphere.
"Williams is a top-notch marksman; his shooting is among the best in the field office. If you need to accurately engage a target, Williams is the best choice," Stevens further introduced Williams's situation.
"Thank you, Stevens." Marcus said gratefully. This team was quite well-equipped; Stevens had truly put in the effort, instead of just going through the motions.
"You're welcome," Stevens replied, then joked, "By the way, how about a celebratory drink tonight?"
Marcus was slightly embarrassed; he had absolutely no money!
Stevens noticed Marcus's embarrassment. "Haha, Marcus, the Boss just approved your back pay, a total of 16 months, plus undercover allowance and bonuses, totaling $24,530. Shouldn't you treat us to drinks?"
"Okay!" Marcus naturally couldn't refuse. "Also, invite Jackson and the other two over. Welcome them to the special operations team."
Stevens reminded him, "It would be better if you invited them yourself; you can personally inform them of their transfers later."
"Okay," Marcus replied; Stevens's suggestion was indeed better.
6:15 PM.
Marcus, Stevens, and the other three chose a local sports bar. After some eating and drinking, Marcus became more familiar with the three team members.
It was nearly 10 p.m. when Marcus finally returned to the FBI-provided bachelor apartment. He lay back on the bed, his head spinning.
Even with his decent alcohol tolerance, could he withstand the repeated toasts from the three team members?
It was too much!
The next morning at 8 a.m., Marcus arrived early at the FBI Los Angeles field office.
The FBI's working hours were relatively flexible; arriving at 7, 8, or even 9 a.m. was fine, as long as the work was done properly.
When Marcus arrived, Jackson, Rodriguez, and Williams were not yet there, so he used this time to familiarize himself with the headquarters building.
He had been too rushed yesterday and hadn't had a chance to tour the entire facility.
Around nine o'clock, Marcus returned to the special operations team's office. His three teammates were already there. Marcus clapped to get their attention, then called out, "Guys, meet at the underground firearms training range in three minutes. I want to see your marksmanship."
Jackson, the most outgoing of them all, replied, "Don't worry, boss, our marksmanship is excellent!"
Rodriguez nodded affirmatively, "That's right!"
Williams smiled confidently, "Back in Quantico, I was ranked number one in marksmanship competitions!"
"Very good!" Marcus praised.
A few minutes later, Marcus led his three teammates to the underground firearms training range. He instructed, "Try shooting at the targets. I want to see your level."
In reality, aside from video games, Marcus had no firearms skills whatsoever, so he naturally wouldn't participate in target practice yet.
The three teammates didn't hesitate; they followed Marcus's instructions and began shooting. They all chose 20-meter targets, a distance most common in urban combat.
"Bang bang bang~"
"Bang bang bang~"
...
Gunshots rang out in the underground firearms training range. Marcus, wearing hearing protection, watched as he communicated with the Transcendence System.
"System, can I master firearms shooting through destiny points?" Marcus asked in his mind.
"The host is observing firearms shooting and has touched the causal destiny line. If destiny points are used to reverse cause and effect, the host will be able to master firearms shooting," the Transcendence System responded.
"Based on the current situation, and given the host's complete lack of knowledge about firearms shooting, please make a decision from the following options," the Transcendence System listed the options in Marcus's mind.
"1. Consume 5 destiny points, the host will master small firearms, including pistols and submachine guns."
"2. Consume 8 destiny points, the host will master medium and small firearms, including pistols and all submachine guns."
"3. Consume 10 destiny points, the host will master most firearms, including pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, and heavy machine guns."
"4. Consume 15 destiny points, the host will become proficient in most firearms, including pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, machine guns, and sniper rifles."
Marcus looked at the options listed by the Transcendence System. He felt a little helpless, but also a little fortunate.
He only had 6 destiny points, but the Transcendence System had listed all the options, indicating that the Transcendence System's intelligence was limited, more like a fixed intelligent program.
"I choose the first option!" Marcus made his decision.
After making the decision, Marcus felt a sudden surge of knowledge flood his mind, but he felt no discomfort at this unexpected influx; instead, he felt it was perfectly natural, as if he had always possessed this knowledge.
"Boss, what do you think?" Jackson called out to Marcus.
Marcus glanced at the target in Jackson's lane. The M1911A1 pistol had a magazine capacity of 7+1 rounds. Of the eight bullets fired, only two landed in the center of the ten-ring area, with the worst score being on the edge of the eight-ring, for a total score of 71. The passing standard for FBI field agents was 64.
Rodriguez's score was slightly better, with three bullets in the ten-ring area, giving him a total score one ring higher than Jackson.
Williams's score was impressive; of the eight bullets fired, only two landed in the nine-ring area, with the remaining six all landing in the ten-ring area, for a total score of 78. No wonder he was a marksman expert specially recommended by Stevens.
Looking at Williams's shooting score, Marcus sighed inwardly, but he wasn't too surprised, because he clearly felt that if he were to shoot himself, he could definitely surpass Williams!
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