mtl008 Chapter 4600 The Day of Brightest Day (59)
Chapter 4600 The Day of Brightest Day (59)
Chapter 4600 The Day of Brightest Light (59)
Deathstroke clearly disagreed with Schiller's words. In his view, he was Joseph's biological father. Even if Joseph needed to prepare to join the Justice League, it should be Deathstroke training Joseph. Batman and Schiller should be sidelined.
But Joseph clearly didn't think that way. He was quiet and didn't enjoy killing. Although he probably wouldn't have a peaceful life because his father was an assassin, he preferred to use limited force. His superpowers also meant he didn't have to resort to too much physical violence.
So, faced with the choice between becoming an apprentice to the world's top mercenary and joining the Justice League to learn, he chose the latter. Clearly, he agrees with the idea that "restraint is the foundation of violent aesthetics." Both Batman and Schiller are implementers and synonyms of this idea.
In contrast, Deathstroke's extreme violence didn't quite suit his aesthetic. So, Joseph remained unmoved when faced with his own father's slightly resentful gaze.
“I’ll teach you the most basic shooting skills first,” Schiller said, glancing at Deathstroke. “It’s hard to imagine that an American-raised teenager doesn’t even know the most basic way to shoot a pistol.”
“I have a gun at home, but I’m not interested in it,” Joseph said, shaking his head. “My neighbors also wanted to take Root and me to the shooting range, but I thought it was too noisy.”
“We won’t use a silenced pistol yet.” Schiller took the Quiet Dog from his hand and said, “A silenced pistol will greatly affect your shooting feel. You need to be familiar with other normal pistols before practicing with it. Let’s go to the shooting range to practice basic shooting first.”
Joseph nodded and followed Schiller, and then Deathstroke followed them furtively.
“I remember when you were seven, I tried to teach you how to fire a gun,” Deathstroke muttered. “But I only fired one shot, and you covered your ears and ran away. Ever since then, whenever I handle a gun, you stay far away.”
“I told you it was noisy,” Joseph said calmly.
"Did you never wear headphones when you practiced shooting in the army?" Schiller asked, turning to look at Deathstroke.
“They did issue earplugs, but I didn’t like wearing them,” Deathstroke shrugged. “Besides, on the battlefield, wearing earplugs is suicide. People who aren’t used to gunfire don’t survive.”
Schiller knew that Deathstroke wasn't wrong. After all, Deathstroke enlisted during wartime, a time when scientific training was disregarded; the general idea was to hand everyone a gun and send them straight to the battlefield to train. New recruits only learned aiming, firing, and trench running; the rest was left to fate.
“Your unorthodox methods are outdated,” Schiller commented. “Now, scientific training is the norm. The initial courses at secret service schools require firing at least 30,000 rounds of handgun ammunition. Without hearing protection, you could suffer serious hearing damage.”
"Yeah. Otherwise, how come you went deaf after just one Colt Python shot?"
“Didn’t you almost go deaf too?” Schiller said. “How come you couldn’t adapt?”
Deathstroke was speechless. He could certainly get used to the sound of gunfire, but the question was, was that revolver making gunfire? What was the difference between that and having a tank cannon barrel shoved into his ear?
They arrived at the Justice League base's underground training range. These indoor shooting ranges all look pretty much the same. A space was divided into two areas, with shooting platforms separated by thin, transparent panels, forming small cubicles. Inside each cubicle were pistols secured with lanyards, goggles, headphones, and scoreboards.
Schiller first took out his own pistol and demonstrated the standard firing stance to Joseph, mainly explaining the isosceles triangle and Weaver stances, and emphasizing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
"In terms of the area of impact, the Weaver style of holding the gun with one hand is more effective. However, be aware that when facing the enemy sideways, if you are hit, the bullet may pass through your heart and lungs, causing irreversible and serious damage. Therefore, I suggest that you only do this when wearing body armor, and it is better to hold the gun with both hands normally."
Joseph nodded, and then Deathstroke nodded in agreement. Schiller turned to look at him, as if to say, "Why are you nodding?"
“I don’t use pistols often,” Deathstroke said. “For me, a pistol is a very awkward piece of equipment. When it’s within the range of a pistol’s accurate shooting, it’s better to use a sword; if it’s beyond the range of a greatsword, then it’s better to just spray bullets with a rifle.”
Schiller thought about it for a moment, and it seemed to be true. Seeing Joseph's somewhat confused expression, Schiller explained, "Although most pistols can be fired at fifty meters, under normal circumstances, accuracy and lethality will drop significantly beyond thirty meters. The optimal firing distance is still ten to fifteen meters. If your marksmanship is good enough, you can also fire at around twenty meters."
Joseph glanced at Deathstroke, seemingly weighing whether a spear or a sword would be faster within seven paces. Schiller, on the other hand, didn't need to consider this; within a hundred meters, Deathstroke was always faster. Whether it was a greatsword or twin blades, their spinning motion was terrifying.
“Then you’ll probably need to relearn how to shoot a pistol,” Schiller said. “You might have thought that the biggest drawback of a pistol was its lack of lethality. But for you now, the biggest advantage of a pistol is that it’s not lethal. Batman has given you far too much.”
Deathstroke thought about it and realized it made sense. Batman had never paid Deathstroke before, probably because there wasn't anyone he absolutely needed to kill. Plus, Deathstroke had beaten Robin, so Batman didn't have a good impression of him. The two had never worked together, so Deathstroke had no idea how much Batman was willing to pay.
With just a slight gesture from Diana, Deathstroke truly realized the vast difference between himself and the capitalists. The money he earned was still money, while Batman spent it as if it were paper.
So it seems that instead of constantly traveling back and forth between Eastern Europe and the Middle East, it's better to just stay on the East Coast and wait for the God of Wealth to bestow a bounty upon us. Although Batman's missions are a bit demanding, with restrictions on killing, Deathstroke's principle of not killing is even more steadfast than Batman's, as long as the money is right. He'll take the money tree, pot and all, and even catch all the fish in the aquarium alive.
In this situation, techniques like Blade Storm are no longer viable. Sticks are also difficult to control, making it easy to get killed. Most melee weapons are too lethal, even fists. Because the power of a modified human like Deathstroke has no upper limit, while a small handgun developed by ordinary people is much better. Whoever fires the gun will have the same lethality; killing someone with a single shot is quite difficult.
To reiterate, handguns have a very low lethality. Even with deliberate control of the number of shots fired, the probability of a one-shot kill is extremely low. This is not only because headshots are difficult, but also because most handgun bullets don't cause as much damage to internal organs as one might imagine. A shot aimed at the chest cavity will most likely only damage the lungs; the probability of hitting a vital organ like the heart is very small.
So, Deathstroke also began practicing with a pistol. "Practice" was really just rehabilitation. After firing less than ten shots, he could hit every target precisely, aiming and shooting with pinpoint accuracy. Mobile shooting was also a breeze for him. This cyborg was just too overpowered.
In comparison, Joseph was far inferior. His physical abilities were only average; most of his first few dozen bullets missed the target, with the later ones doing slightly better. But when he switched to a moving target, it became quite difficult again.
Deathstroke watched anxiously, wishing he could go up and strike for him. He wanted to give Joseph a few words of advice, but Joseph was wearing headphones and couldn't hear him, so he could only go around in circles like a donkey pulling a millstone.
“Your basic physical fitness is a bit lacking,” Schiller said. “You have some issues with your arm strength, which makes it difficult to hold the gun and also makes you more susceptible to recoil. But the key issue is that your back muscles are not developed enough, and your core strength is far too weak.”
Joseph glanced at Deathstroke. He had just seen how Deathstroke fired his gun. To put it simply, Deathstroke's strong physique allowed him to control even an automatic machine gun, let alone the recoil of a small pistol.
“Don’t look at him.” Schiller drew Joseph’s attention back. “He’s a cyborg, and his strength is beyond that of ordinary people. But that has its downsides. His tall and strong physique can easily arouse suspicion, making it difficult to blend in at many events. If you train hard, you’ll be more suited to be a secret agent than him.”
Joseph nodded, quickly adjusting his mindset. Actually, he was already learning very fast; as long as he practiced diligently in the future, his marksmanship should be quite good.
“I’m starting to regret it,” Deathstroke said in a low voice. “It seems he still doesn’t have the capacity to get involved in this kind of violence.”
Schiller couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Is it possible that his marksmanship is just icing on the cake for him? He's actually more suited to be a spy?"
"Uh, but what if something happens..."
"Why not just control someone who can shoot?"
Deathstroke couldn't argue with that. Then he said, "If he decides to stay here, we should start thinking about moving."
“You should be thinking about how to avoid causing Robin trouble in the future,” Schiller said. “If he joins the Justice League, he will most likely work with Robin and the others. You can’t beat up his colleagues and then expect him to get along with them.”
“Oh God, there’s that too.” Deathstroke seemed to just remember. “Those kids are a real pain. He’ll definitely get bullied by them.”
Schiller stared at the death knell, somewhat speechless. He not only lacked a clear understanding of Joseph, but also had no proper awareness of his own actions. To this day, he felt as if he had simply passed through Gotham City and been bullied by a group of crazy teenagers who thought he was old and powerless, and that his retaliation was merely teaching the brats a lesson.
They practiced for about two hours before going back to rest. Soon, Schiller and Deathstroke were back to maintaining order on the East Coast. The task wasn't too difficult. With Batman absent, Gotham's lunatics weren't particularly motivated to cause trouble; most were bank robbers, biker thugs, and roadblocks.
Dealing with these ordinary criminals is also simple. Schiller goes to scout the area, determines how many murderers there are and where they are, then Deathstroke rushes over, knocks them unconscious, and hands them over to the police.
Schiller also selected two relatively safe cases and took Joseph with him. Initially, without any restrictions, things went smoothly. Joseph simply walked around the perimeter, and everyone obediently came out and surrendered. Later, without using his superpowers, he fired two shots with a handgun, hitting their targets both times, successfully preventing a robbery of an armored truck.
This shows that Joseph is quite suited for this line of work. He remains calm and even performs exceptionally well in chaotic situations. Combined with his superpowers, he's practically born to be a superhero.
It's fortunate that Deathstroke didn't get him into this line of work too early, otherwise Batman would have already recruited him to be Robin. Although he doesn't have black hair, he does have blue eyes, so integrating into the Bat-family wouldn't be a problem.