Ghost finished speaking in one breath. Second Brother, standing beside him, nodded repeatedly. As an experienced archer, Second Brother was of course familiar with this theoretical knowledge. However, he felt inferior to Ghost's systematic and complete exposition. After all, Second Brother had previously focused on his own learning and training, and had never truly been a teacher. Teaching and learning were indeed two different things!
Having finished, Ghost wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at us hopefully. "Is there any tongxue(student) who didn't understand what the teacher just explained? Raise your hand quickly. We'll move on to hands-on practice tomorrow. It won't do if the theory isn't clear."
Complete silence fell below. Ghost was very pleased. "You're all so clever indeed! It took me years to study this, and you understood it all in this short time! Great! Great! Excellent!"
Seeing Ghost's gratified expression, I wrestled fiercely with my conscience, then gathered my courage and raised a slender finger…
Ghost quickly invited me to ask my question. I was utterly ashamed. "Um, Teacher You, your lecture was so brilliant! So professional! So impressive! But… but I don't think I really understood. For example, how exactly do you select the wood, how do you shape it… and the arrow shafts and heads later… While listening, I thought it was all very clear, but after, I couldn't remember any of it…"
The moment my voice fell, a chorus of buzzing broke out in the crowd.
"Yeah, teacher, I don't remember either…"
"Teacher, what's wood glue, what does it look like…"
"Teacher, I didn't quite get it…"
"Teacher, what wood was that again?"
"Teacher, what's 'Sixth Path Wood'? I've only heard of the six paths of reincarnation…"
"Teacher, my eyesight isn't good, how do I practice archery?"
"Teacher, you want us to practice silver arrows? You're so naughty…"
Hmph! These hypocrites! If I hadn't bravely admitted I didn't understand, they'd all have kept stiff necks and wide eyes, pretending to have IQs over 9000!
Teacher Ghost stood on the platform, a dark line (of dismay) seeming to streak down his face…
When expertise meets novices, Teacher Ghost, you'd better accept your fate…
Transforming us, with zero archery foundation, into master archers… is a long and arduous road.
Helpless, Teacher Ghost slowed down and meticulously repeated everything. This time, everyone had a somewhat clearer idea.
Next group, the Slingshot Team, step up!
I continued to audit. I had to learn this one well. To teach our little Shuai Shuai to be a slingshot marksman in the future, to help his mom take out zombies' eyes for fun—absolutely essential!
"In most people's eyes, a slingshot is just a toy for mischievous boys. But a high-powered slingshot in the hands of a trained person becomes a zombie-killing weapon. There are records abroad of people hunting lions with slingshots. With a draw weight of 20 pounds, the effective range is at least 30 meters, nearly 100 meters at best. Within 10 meters, hitting a zombie's head can shatter the skull! I've tested it; the trajectory of a high-poundage slingshot is basically straight within 20-30 meters.
Normally, slingshots can be found in sporting goods stores, morning market stalls, flower-and-bird markets, and outdoor adventure shops. But unfortunately, on our farm, we can only DIY. Find a forked tree branch, preferably as thick as a thumb. After sawing it off, carve notches on the two ends and tie on rubber bands. The best rubber bands are the tubing used for hospital IV drips—they're strong. Our farm hospital has plenty. Use leather or cloth scraps to make the pouch. The draw force for a slingshot is much less than for a bow. Bows mainly rely on the bow's rebound force, slingshots rely on the rubber band's pull, so 20 pounds of draw weight is enough.
Projectiles can be ball bearings from bearings. The larger the diameter, the greater the power, but the effective range decreases accordingly. Steel balls 1 cm in diameter are ideal. Also, if possible, everyone can get a strong magnet, preferably ring-shaped, tied with a string to the left middle finger. During combat, fill a pocket with steel balls. Dip the left hand with the magnet into the pocket, and it will immediately attract several balls. The advantage is, the left hand always holds the slingshot frame, and the middle finger has several steel balls stuck to it. When firing, you don't have to keep reaching into your pocket to fetch them, increasing the rate of fire. If you can't get steel balls, pick up small stones from the riverbank; they'll work too.
Making a slingshot is simple; a 10-year-old boy can manage it without much difficulty. In defense, boys without close-combat ability, women, and even elderly with decent eyesight can all operate them.
My strategy is this: if attacked by a large number of zombies, the Spear Team engages in close combat with short spears. The Archery Team uses arrows to intercept zombies reinforcing from 20-30 meters away. The slingshot users shoot zombies within 10 meters, or even multiple slingshots attack a single target simultaneously. This forms three layers of striking power—far, medium, and close—saving tremendous physical energy and easing huge psychological pressure for the close-combat fighters.
Because slingshot firing has more variables, accuracy is poorer at longer ranges, so several slingshots should attack one target. Five unskilled slingshot users attacking a zombie 10 meters away can guarantee at least one headshot per volley. Then firing two more volleys should take the zombie down.
In actual combat, the effect would likely cave in the zombie's skull. Slingshots aren't like bows; arrows have penetrating power, while slingshots rely on massive impact force. Generally, as proficiency increases, the hit rate gradually improves.
Slingshots can absolutely provide excellent supplemental firepower within an effective range of about 10 meters."
"Whew! You all understood this time, right? What I'm talking about now are just little gadgets that boys figure out on their own!" Teacher Ghost was brimming with confidence this time!
The slingshot was indeed much simpler. This time, we all understood. But this theory wasn't the most important; the key was hands-on practice. To be accurate and powerful requires a lot of training!
As the representative of mischievous youths, Jin Di kept raising his hand, saying, "Teach! Teacher! I know, I know this! I played with slingshots at home, shot really accurately! I used to hide behind my curtains and shoot at people passing downstairs, until one time someone caught me and came to complain, and I got a good beating from my dad!"
Teacher Ghost looked at Jin Di with immense gratification. Finally, a promising talent had appeared!
And the rest of us who had lived in the same neighborhood as him all glared fiercely at Jin Di. Served him right! How mischievous had this kid been before?!
Third group, the Spear Team, step up!
Teacher Ghost began his lecture on the close-combat weapon… the short spear.
"First, I must say, your team's weapons have a major flaw! Look, each of you only has a machete. The longest seems to be Duoduo's Japanese katana.
There's a saying in martial arts: 'An inch longer, an inch stronger; an inch shorter, an inch more dangerous.' The disadvantage of overly short weapons in combat is very obvious, especially against mindless zombies. How to take down zombies from a safe distance is crucial. No matter how long a machete is, its effective killing range is only about 1.5 meters. If we can extend the attack range to 2.5 meters, keeping danger outside a safe distance, the first choice is the spear.
In the era of cold weapons, spears were essential against cavalry. Infantry spears were generally 3 to 5 meters long, but long spears are too inconvenient. Against zombies, short spears are sufficient, generally 2 meters long—just a bit taller than an adult. The length of a person's outstretched arms equals their height. A single arm's reach is at most 60-70 cm. Adding a 2-meter short spear increases the effective attack distance by a full meter compared to the longest machete. Healthy living, stay away from zombies!
The craftsmanship for short spears is simple, materials easy to find. Iron water pipes will do! The simplest method: take a long iron water pipe, use a hacksaw to cut one end at a slant, then slightly grind the cut surface to create the most primitive short spear. For a more refined version, add a spearhead. Anyone know how to weld? Ah, so many? Excellent! Cut a steel plate into a cone shape, sharpen both edges with a grinder or whetstone, and weld the spearhead directly onto the water pipe. The tactical movements for the simple version are bashing and stabbing. The enhanced version adds a slashing function, increasing its power by at least one level. A 2-meter short spear is very useful for both offense and defense!"
Teacher Ghost slowly scanned the room and continued, "The short spear increases your distance from zombies, providing safer defense than short blades. But if you don't diligently practice the methods of using the short spear, that force is hard to master. There's no shortcut; it can only be achieved through diligent practice."
…
Under Teacher Ghost's untiring instruction, everyone gradually began to grasp the concepts. The next step was hands-on practice.