?


    Walter Riley looked at the man, a smile ying on his lips. "I, too, have just discovered the extent of Scarlett''s remarkable talent. She surpasses even Carter!" He paused for a moment, reflecting on thepetition. "Alright, let''s step out and announce the winner!"


    "Grandfather," Carter hurriedly approached Walter Riley as he emerged from the control room, with Scarlett and Xander trailing behind. "Who is the winner?" he asked curiously, even though deep inside, he was sure he was the winner.


    Observing his grandpa ignoring him and focusing his attention on Scarlett, Carter smiled, his gaze fixed on her, ''Grandpa must feel sorry for sister...'' He thought.


    "Sister, don''t be discouraged. There are still two matches remaining. You can win the second one," Carter offered encouraging words.


    The officer who emerged with Walter Riley chuckled at Carter''s words, paying little attention to him, and instead handed the results to Xander, who stood before him.


    "Master Xander, you can see the results..." the officer said. However, before Xander could take the paper, Carter snatched it away. The officer was taken aback but remained silent as he saw Xander stop him from saying anything.


    "Thank you," Xander said. "Alright, let''s begin the second match!" he dered calmly, taking Scarlett''s hand. "Congrattions, babe," he whispered, leading her back to the shooting range, where another officer awaited them.


    "Scarlett, well done!" Walter Riley smiled at Scarlett and gently patted her shoulder before he headed back to the control room.


    Carter felt puzzled by Scarlett and Xander''s calmness. However, he grew uneasy when he realized everyone had left him alone without a single word.


    ''What the hell? Why didn''t anyone say anything?'' Carter scratched his head and walked toward the field, assuming his shooting position. He absentmindedly ced the match results on the table without checking them, his focus shifting to the uing second match.


    Yet, his mind remained unsettled. ''Did they intentionally refrain from congratting me on sparing Scarlett''s feelings?'' Carter pondered as he checked the gun he would use and asionally nced at Scarlett.


    Upon noticing Scarlett''s worried expression, Carter again felt guilty for suggesting theypete in three rounds. "Sister Scarlett," he called out to her, "don''t be nervous. You might have an advantage this time because I''m not that skilled at shooting blindfolded..." He grinned, trying to lighten the mood.


    Scarlett didn''t bother responding with words. She simply wanted to finish this match and return to her room, waiting for her uncle''s phone call. Her uncle had promised to call her before the new year, but tomorrow was December''sst day, and he hadn''t contacted her yet. This worries her much.


    Shortly after...


    The officer announced the rules of thepetition, "The shooting distance for this round is only 25 meters. You may take three shots within 1 minute. The winner will be determined by the highest score."


    Unlike the previous match, this time, the shooting target was already visible in front of them before the match began. Scarlett casually nced at her target and asked Xander to blindfold her.


    "Alright! Are you all ready?" the officer shouted. "One... Two... Three..."


    Bang!<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Just like before, Scarlett shot without hesitation and finished ahead of Carter. She ced her gun on the table and removed her blindfold.


    Scarlett''s gaze fell upon Xander, and she smiled at him, utterly uninterested in Carter, who had justpleted his round.


    "Xander, can we proceed to the next match?" Scarlett said. "Let''s check the resultster..." She didn''t want to linger in this ce, especially not to face Carter, who was delusional and shamelessly unaware of his defeat. How could he not realize he had lost even before the match began? He thought too much before shooting.


    "Okay!" Xander agreed and signaled to the officials to prepare for the third match. He, too, was starting to feel bored in this ce because he already knew Scarlett''s skill far surpassed Carter''s. It was like apetition between a student and a teacher—an uneven match.


    They would move to another location for the third match, one floor below. There was abat arena with moving targets that simted real-life situations. Participants would enter a room where holographic enemies appeared in various locations, mimicking human movement.


    In this arena, all target positions were randomly determined by theputer. Even frequent practice in the arena wouldn''t help yers memorize the targets'' movements. So Scarlett wouldn''t be at a disadvantage even though it was her first time entering this arena.


    "Who won?" Carter asked as he joined Xander and Scarlett. His face remained calm, although he was confident he would lose this time. It didn''t bother him because he knew he would win in the third match. He was ustomed to training with moving targets, simting actualbat.


    Carter was convinced that his sister-inw had never experienced such training. How could a small and delicate girl like Scarlett handle that kind of practice? It seemed impossible. She must have only practiced shooting the basics for her own safety, capable of shooting but not an expert.


    "Young Master Carter, we will announce the results at the end of the third match," one of the officers emerged from the control room and answered Carter. "Now, let''s move on to the third match arena," he said.


    Carter nodded, agreeing with the arrangement. It didn''t matter to him where theypeted; what mattered was the end result—he would emerge victorious.


    "Very good!" Carter eximed as he nced at Scarlett. "Let''s go, sister. Let me tell you, ourbat range is the second-best in the country. My grandfather built this ce, almost identical to what the military has..." Carter excitedly exined as they made their way to the third match arena.


    A mncholy feeling washed over Carter as he shared details about the shooting arena. His grandfather had constructed this ce specifically to amodate his shooting talent. However, his passion for shooting gradually waned after winning a gold medal in the Olympics.


    He had no interest in joining the army either, as he didn''t want to live a regted life like a soldier. Consequently, he abandoned his shooting talent, and this ce became rarely used for practice.


    "Now, this ce is mostly utilized by the Riley family guards. Such a pity..." Carter continued, leaving Scarlett stunned by his words.