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01 For the Benefit of Mankind（第3页）

Smoothboreloweredthebinodthoughtforamoment，shakily.Somethingtrulyfantastifoldingbeforehim:ahomelessman，aarvingartist，andagirlwholivede–threeofthepoorest，leintheworld–somehowposedathreattotheworld’swealthiestandmostpowerfulplutocrats.Thethreatwassogreat，infact，thattheyfeltpelledtohireahitmaheproblem.

BarrenLand#2layonthebackseat.Iheskull’ssingleeyeboredintoSmoothbore，likeathorninhisflesh.

Therewasachorusofpanickedthelandfill，andSmoothboresawthattheworldoutsidehiscarwasbathediheglowemaheeast，whereabluesunidlyrisihehorizon.ItwastheElderBrothers’spaceship，arriviherhespaceshipdidnottypicallyemitlight;atreflegoffitssidesmadeitshinelikeasmallmooen，itwouldsuddenlyillumiheworldinabluishglhumanityierror.Thistime，thespaceship’sglhterthaneverbefore，perhapsbecauseitwasihanusual.Thebluemoohecity，stretgtheshadowsofskyscrapersallthewaytothelandfilllikethegraspingarmsofgiants.Asthespatisast，theshadowsgraduallyshranka>

ThesgergirlonthelandfillwasillumiheglowoftheElderBrothers’spaceship.Smoothboreraisedhisbinainandedhisearlierobservations.Sheindeedwashismark.ShekhherbagiheslightesttraiurshemostlyprojectedthesamesortofserenitySmoothborehadseeograph.Smoothbore’sheartstirredagain，butitwasasfleetingasbefore.Hekleofemotionfromsomewheredeepwithinhissoul，aedhavinglostitagain.

Thespaceshipstreakedacrosstheskyahewesternhorizon，leavingaerglowihelaledbatodarkhelightsofthecitysparkledohbhtsreturhepuzzleathaeepeopleookillthethreepoorestpeople.Itwasbeyondabsurd，andanypossibleexplanationescapedhisimagination.Buthismindhadnotstrayedfarbeforeheslammedthebrakesonhisthoughts.Heslappedthesteeringwheelinself-reproachashesuddenlyrealizedhehadviolatedthealruleofhisownprofession.Histutor’swordsunfurledinhismind，layingouttheirprofession’smaxim:thegucareatwhomitisaimed.

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Tothisday，Smoothboredidnotevenknowinwhitryhehadstudiedabroad，muchlesstheexactpositionoftheacademy.HekhatfirstlegofthetripwastoMosarrival，hewasmetbyseveralmenwhospokeEnglishwithoutatraceofaRussia.Heutonopaquesunglasses，anddisguisedasablindpersoheremaihejourneyierahree-hhtandaday’sdrive，hearrivedattheadSmoothboreotsayforthathewasstillinRussiaatthatpoint.

Theacademyiainsandringedbyhighwalls.Undernoceswerestudeoleavebefraduation.Afterheermittedtoremovethesuhborediscoveredthebuildingsoftheacademyweredividedintotwodistihefirsttypeofbuildingwasgrayanddevoidofanydistinguishihesedtypeebothshapeaerfoundoutbuildiothelatterstylewereactuallyassembledfromgiantbuildingblodcuredatwilltosimulateamyriadofbateheeewasessentiallyoe-etrange.

&ionywasthefirstandoudentbodywouldgathertogether，andtheirexceededfourhuhesilver-hairedprincipal，whohadtheandingmannerofaclassicalschavethefollowingaddress:

‘Studehefouryears，youwilllearioracticalskillsrequiredbyourlineofwork–alineofworkwhosenameweshallneverspeakaloud.Itisoneofhumanity’smostaprofessions，anditisaprofessionassuredhtfuture.Onthesmallscale，ourwork，andonlyourwork，resolvediffisfordesperatets;butescale，ourworkgehistory.

‘I，differeanizationshavereatsumsofmuerillafighters.Werefusedthemall，becauseweonlytraiprofessionals.Yes，i，frbutmooday，youmustthinkofyourselfasagun.Yourdutyistoperformthefunofagun，aeitsbeautyintheprocess.Agucareatwhomitisaimed.AraiseshisgunandshootsB，BwreststhegunawayandshootsA–theguihetletesbothassighthesamelevelofexce.Thisisthemostbasicipleofourprofession.’

Duringtheoothborealsolearhemostsinhisheirfualbusinessrog’，theirtargetswere‘units’or‘work’，ahwas‘g’.

TheacademywasdividedintoL，MandSdises，，mid，andshe.Ldisewasthemostmysteriousandmostexpensivecourseofstudy.ThefewstudehisspecialtykepttothemselvesandrarelymixedwithMas.Likewise，Smoothbore’sinstructorsadvisedthemtokeeptheirdistanLstudehenobilityofthisprofessiohemostlikelytogethecourseofhistory.’

ThekoLstudentsrofound，andthesniperriflesreservedfortheirusedredsofthousandsofdollarsawwhenfullyassembled.Lspecialistsprocessedworkataahousahoughitwassaidthatsomecouldhittheirmarksfromthreethousaersarogatdistaeeerslicatedoperation，andpartofthepreparatoryworkincludedplagaseriesof‘widistahefiriheingeniouslycraftedmieterscouldwirelesslytransmitdatatogogglesworer，sharpeninghis（orher）uandingofwindspeedaionaloirera.

&sprocessedworkatadistahreehuwasthemosttraditionaldise，anditboastedthelargestudents，whogenerallyusedstandard-issuerifles.WhiletherewasrarelyasheofworkforMspecialists，thisdisewassideredpedestrianandratherlamystique.

SmedtoSdise，learningtoprocessweoflessthahisdiselagentos，astypicallyusedpistolsorevehermeleeohreespecialties，Sdisewasuhemostdaitwasalsothemostromantic.

Theprincipalwasamasterofthisdise，andhepersonallyinstructedScourses.Buttoeveryone’ssurprise，thefirstcoursehetaughtwasEnglishliterature.

‘YoumustfirstuhevalueofSdise，’theprincipalsaidgravely，gazingatthebaffledstudentsbeforehim.‘IntheLandMdises，theunitandtheproeet，aisprodcooledwithitsplight.Ablessi，perhaps，butnotnecessarilyfortheeeedtheirtargetstoknowwhohasmarkedthemfandwhy，anditfallstoustoihatmomeourselves，butaninofthet.Wemustsolemlyunicatehisorherfiotheunit，andthusinflictthemaximumpsychidtormentpossiblepriortog.ThisistheromayofSdise–thelookofterroranddespairi’seyesjustbef.Weogreaterpleasurethanthisinourwork，buttothisecultivateourverbaldexterityandliterarya.’

Soforohborestudiedliterature.HereadHomer’sepics，memorizedShakespeare，andstudiedworksbymanyotherclassiporaryauthors.Smoothborefeltthiswasthemyearofhisoverseasedu.Hewasmoreorlessfamiliarwiththesubjectsthatfollowed，amasterthemattheinstitute，hecouldlearnthemelsewhere.Butthiswashisoodeeplyeerature.Throughliterature，heredisanity，andhemarveledatthesubtletiesofhumannature.

Hiscourseofstudywashumananatomy.paredtotheothertwodises，Sdise’sothermajewasthatitossibletoeoitsduriheteicaltermswere‘fastg’and‘delayedasrequesteddelayeddaregoftheentireprocess–atreasuredkeepsaketheycouldappreciateeverafter.Ofcourse，thisrequiredpreicalskillsaensiveexperienowledgeofhumananatomyensable.

Then，hisrealcan.

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Thejuhelandfillgraduallydispersed，untilonlyhismarkahersremaihboredeaoprocessthisuhenight.Itwentagainststandardpracticettheinitialobservatiotherewereexs，shouldasuitableopportunityfpresentitself.

Smoothboremaneuveredhisuheoverpassahepot-holedroadhelandfill.Heobservedthatanyjuhelandfillhadtopassthisway.Thedarknessrevealedonlytheshadowsofthewildgrassswayibreeze.Itwasai，aowaitherefortheunit.

Smoothboredrewouthisgunalyonthedashboard.Itwasa，7.6mmrevolverthatwaschamberedfeBlackStarcartridges.HecalleditSnubnosebecauseofitsshape.Hehadpurchasedtheprivately-fabritraforthreethousandyuanontheblackmarket.Althoughitlookedcrude，itwasmadewell，andeapohadbeehpre.Itsbiggestflawwasthatthemabotheredwithrifling:thebarrelwallsweresmoothmetal.ItwasnotasifSmoothborerocurebetter，name-brandfirearms.BrotherTeethhadequippedhimwitha32-roundUziwheartedhisbodyguarddhadlatergiftedhimaType77asabirthdaypresent.ButSmoothborehadstuffedbothguomofhistrunk，andnevercarriedthemonhisperson.HesimplypreferredSglintedithehaloofthemetrSmhtsbacktohisyearsattheacademy.

Odayoftheirrealtraining，theprincipalmadeeatpresenthisorherlaoseinthatliedpistols，hehadfeltdeeplyembarrassed.Theprincipal，however，piubinhishand，andsaidwithsiion:‘Thisisafinegun.’

‘Itdoesn’thaverifling，andyouattaeereda.

‘PredraleimportaoSspecialists，andriflingevenlessso.Andsilencers?Asmallpillowwilldothetrick.Boy，donotallowyourselftobelimitedbystale.Inthehandsofamaster，thisgurythatallyourexpeoysot.’

‘Fromnoilloothbore!’saidtheheadmaster，handingthegunba.‘Holdontothis，boy.Itlookslikeyouwillhavetostudykhrowing.’

Smoothboreimmediatelygraspedtheprincipal’smeakhrowerheldhiskhebladeashethrewitiobuildmomentumthroughrotation，butthisrequiredthattheknifearrivepoint-firstasitreacheditstarget.TheprinoothborewouldlearntowieldSnubnoseasakhrowermasteredhisblades!SuchartistrywouldgiveSmoothboreuroloverthewoundsSumblisiertwoyearsofbitterpradhirtythousahboreacquiredalevelofskillthatwasbeyoheacademy’sbestfirearmsinstructors.

Duringhisstudiesabroad，Smoothborebepletelyinseparablefromsnubnose.Inhisfourthyear，hebecamefamiliarwithainhisowndisewhowentbythenameofFire，perhapsbeaneofredhair.Itossibletokionality，butSmuessedsheWesterherewerefewfemalestudentsattheadalmostallofthemwerenaturalsharpshooters.Fire，however，hadterribleaim，andherdaggerskillsweredhtembarrassing.Smoothborehadnoideahowshemadealiviheacademy.Butigarrotingclass，shepluckedafilameobenearlyihedeliger.Withadeftspokeofpractice，sheedtherazorwirearouhegoatbeieagaid.Firehadcalleditananoer-stromightbeusedtobuildspaceelevatorsiure.

&ionforSmoothbore–thatsortofthingossibleattheacademy.ShealsohungaroundFrostWolf，aNorditfromanotherdise.Shehoppedbadforthbetweenthemlikeafightiryingtoiofbloodshedtodisruptthemonotonyofstudentlife.ShesoohetwomeletheirfeudwithagameofRussiahedeadofnight，theirclassmatesrefiguredtheenormousbuildingblocksofthesheintotheshapeofthe.Theduelwastoeerofthearena，andtheonofchoiubnose.

Firepresidedovertheehagracefulflourish，sheiedasiridgeintoSyder.Then，holdingthebarrel，sherolledthederacrossherpale，slenderforearmadozeerthetwomenpolitelydeedtheircetogofirst，shesmiledaheguntoSmoothbore.Smoothboreslowlyraisedtheguntohishead.Astheuzzletouchedhistemple，atinessandisolatierthananythinghehadeverfelt，washedoverhim.Hefeltaformless，frigidwihroughtheworld，untilhishearteckofheatinapitiverse.Hesteeledhisheartariggerfivetimes.Thehammerfellfivetimes.Thederturhegundidnotfire.

Smraduatednotlthesamedarkglassesheworewhenhearrived，hedepartedthenamelessadreturheplacehegrewup.Heherwordabouttheaditwasasifithadneverreallyexistedatall.