63: Shooting coconuts with a gun? This prop gun isn't working.
Lin Texian felt that Lin Pei's marksmanship looked even more impressive than the Action Director's.
But he didn't say it.
Because at that moment, the Action Director came out of the hotel.
The other actors followed closely behind.
Lin Pei was pulled along, walking between Zhang Ze and Hai Qing.
The two of them completely ignored each other, talking into Lin Pei's ears from left and right.
Lin Pei felt like two giant hornets were buzzing in his ears.
If they hadn't already reached the hotel entrance, he might have already taken action and swatted the 'hornets' away.
At the hotel entrance.
Organized by Lin Texian, the actors got acquainted with each other on the spot.
Zhang Ze and Hai Qing, Lin Pei was already very familiar with.
At this moment, he mainly got to know the other actors in the Film Crew.
Huang Jingyu, playing the sniper;
Yin Fang, playing the sniper spotter;
Jiang Luxia, playing the machine gunner;
Zhang Hanyu, playing the warship captain;
... Hearing Lin Pei's name, Huang Jingyu gave him an extra glance.
"Bro, I heard you know how to shoot?"
Lin Pei looked at the gun in his hand and modestly replied.
"A little."
Huang Jingyu nodded.
So he only knows a little.
Sure enough, the director was exaggerating... In front of the hotel, there were several tall coconut trees, with dense clusters of coconuts hanging high up.
Hai Qing licked her lips.
"Thirsty."
"Let's buy some coconuts to drink."
Everyone agreed.
They were all in Africa for the first time.
They wondered if African coconut water was really sweeter than Dragon Country's.
They paid the locals under the trees, who cut open the coconuts, inserted straws, and handed them over.
But they bought too many, and there weren't enough coconuts within reach.
Seeing this, the child of the local vendor rolled up his sleeves, ready to climb to the treetop to pick some.
The child looked only about ten years old.
The thought of him climbing a tree over ten meters tall to pick coconuts worried the female actors first.
Even though they thought the locals were used to it, they still felt uneasy.
Hai Qing stopped the child and glanced at the gun in Huang Jingyu's hand.
"Jingyu, haven't you been practicing pretty well lately? How about we shoot the coconuts down?"
In Ivia, ordinary people can legally own firearms.
Using a gun to shoot down coconuts probably wouldn't be an issue.
Huang Jingyu's eyes widened like a goldfish's, his Ningliao accent thickening.
"Sis, it's way too high, I can't aim accurately at all."
"When I practiced shooting apples, the distance was only two meters."
"Now the treetop is over ten meters away."
Seeing Hai Qing pout her lips, a hint of disdain appearing in her eyes.
Huang Jingyu stiffened his neck.
"Fine, I'll give it a try."
"You better have the money ready."
"In case I wreck their tree, you're covering it."
"When I was practicing shooting, I wrecked my grandma's orchard and had to pay her back."
"I'm broke now."
Everyone laughed at him.
Hai Qing's disdain was almost overflowing from her eyes.
"Alright, alright, I'll cover it."
"Just hurry up already."
Huang Jingyu helplessly raised the gun, aiming for a long time.
Under Hai Qing's urging, he fired the first shot.
"Bang!"
Everyone watched for a while, but nothing moved on the tree.
Unsurprisingly, the bullet went skyward.
"Clatter."
The bullet then fell back down.
Huang Jingyu felt a bit embarrassed.
"Told you so."
"At this angle and distance, it's tough."
He aimed and fired several more shots in succession, but none succeeded.
Lin Pei and Lin Texian chatted for a bit before turning back, only to find not a single coconut had been shot down.
Lin Texian asked Lin Pei.
"Lin Pei, why don't you help him shoot?"
Lin Pei looked at the tree, "Alright."
Before he could take a step, Hai Qing pulled him back.
"Don't go, to save time, let our Action Director handle it."
"If Huang Jingyu can't do it, you definitely can't either."
"Huang Jingyu has been practicing for months."
"I heard from the director you haven't practiced much?"
Lin Texian frowned.
He had said that because those were Lin Pei's exact words.
But his follow-up was that Lin Pei's skill level was extremely high, almost like a professional sniper.
Why only listen to half of it?
Before he could explain, the Action Director, who had been focused on cleaning his gun, looked up.
"Let me give it a try."
"This range is fine for a professional gun, but with our prop gun, it's hard to say."
"Can't aim that far."
This director was once an exceptionally skilled special forces soldier, having received several first-class merits in the military.
Not long ago, he chose to retire and return home, joining the Film Crew as an Action Director.
Everyone thought it was settled.
Even if he couldn't shoot it down due to the gun issue, they'd just have to give up.
The Action Director raised the gun and started aiming.
He found that the prop gun indeed couldn't aim that far.
Forget it.
Just go by feel.
He had shot targets for so many years in the military; with coconuts clustered so densely, he should be able to hit one by feel.
"Bang!"
The bullet fired.
It flew into the sky... The tree was too high; going by feel didn't seem to work.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
He tried firing three more shots in succession.
Every shot missed.
Every shot went skyward.
The Action Director coughed.
"This gun isn't great, can't aim far."
When Huang Jingyu said this earlier, everyone thought it was his lack of skill.
Now that the Action Director said the same thing, everyone thought it must be true—the gun really was no good.
Because the Action Director was a professional.
Everyone had seen him in the Film Crew, shooting without missing, every shot hitting the bullseye.
Huang Jingyu spread his hands and even smiled.
"See, I told you."
The black child waited for a long time, just watching this group of people firing shots at the tree.
After all that shooting, not a single coconut came down.
It made him anxious.
He rolled up his sleeves, ready to climb again.
But Hai Qing stopped him once more.
The child was almost crying.
Climbing the tree would only take him a minute.
These uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters had been messing around for over ten minutes.
Couldn't get the coconuts down, and wouldn't let him do it.
Really didn't know who to complain to.
Lin Texian asked Lin Pei again.
"Lin Pei, can you shoot it down?"
Lin Pei took the gun from Huang Jingyu's hand.
"I'll give it a try."
The Film Crew's guns were all the same model, bought in bulk; there wasn't one that worked better or worse.
Huang Jingyu frowned.
"How about we just let the kid climb up and pick them?"
"Look, the kid's getting anxious."
"If even our Action Director can't shoot it down, no one else can."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ivia was really hot; just standing around, they felt like they were melting under the sun.
"Yeah, how about letting him pick?"
"We could even skip it, don't delay here, we still have to go to the Film Crew."
"The director said our guns are no good, so maybe we shouldn't shoot."
Lin Texian had seen Lin Pei shoot before, hitting targets effortlessly.
He really looked more impressive than their Action Director.
He just wanted to see if Lin Pei could shoot down the coconut.
"Won't hurt to wait a bit longer."
"Lin Pei, give it a try."
Lin Pei nodded.
Alright, he'd give it a try.
Huang Jingyu sighed.
"Give it a try, and it might be the end."
"Everyone step back, watch out for falling bullets."