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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。