Ahmed rested for an hour, performed ablution, and took a shower, then began preparing for the sniping test that Haruki and his gang members had prepared for him. He left his room feeling the weight of the duty, but his resolve was greater. He agreed with Haruki to head to a secluded, rural location with no civilians, where the men had prepared a platform and an observation post for Ahmed's performance to be viewed by everyone.
The gang members brought a large black box; they opened it in front of the attendees, revealing a majestic sniper rifle that Haruki had given a dramatic, fictional name: the "Black Shadow" sniper rifle. (Note: The name is fictional for narrative purposes only.) The details of operating the weapon were not mentioned, the attendees merely described its heavy appearance and imposing gleam.
The organizers divided the location into three ascending levels of difficulty, carefully preparing each level in a theatrical manner: open areas, small wooden platforms, and cameras fixed on steady bases; in front of each target, a camera was placed to capture the image live on large screens in front of the main platform where Haruki and his family were seated:
The Easy Level: The target distance is 549 meters — a watermelon placed on a base in the middle of a sandy area. A dedicated camera in front of it broadcasts to the first screen.
The Hard Level: The target distance is 1085 meters — a red apple placed on top of a small pole, with the second camera in front of it.
The Insane Level: The target distance is 1845 meters — a glass bottle filled with water placed on a distant platform, with the third camera in front of it.
The men prepared a large display screen in front of the rows of guests, and placed speakers and broadcast points in front of each screen so that the attendees could watch every shot being recorded. They also prepared rustic seats for Haruki's family members: Mrs. Sayuri, her five daughters, and her small son, so they wouldn't miss a single moment. Near the platform, they set up a small control area that included camera operators and a mixer to display the footage live.
Three fixed cameras were accurately positioned: the first camera on a base in front of the watermelon, the second facing the apple, and the third monitoring the glass bottle—all connected by wires to a wide screen in front of Haruki's platform. Special seating was arranged for Haruki and his family members so that every reaction would appear live as it happened.
Before the event began, Haruki quickly called Mrs. Sayuri, saying: "Sayuri, hurry... bring the girls now. We have a show we won't see again." Sayuri replied in a sharp but agreeable voice and hurried with her daughters toward the location, where everything had been perfectly prepared: the chairs, the screens, the cameras, and the agenda of the challenges.
Ahmed stood in front of the black box and took out the sniper rifle as if it were a magnificent piece of theater. He put on sound isolation headphones and checked his seating and the platform's position. One of the gang members explained the rules in a dry voice: "You have only three bullets for each level; if you don't hit the target within the three shots, you lose the challenge."
Ahmed nodded in agreement, then took his position with composure, while Mrs. Sayuri, her daughters, and Haruki's son looked on from their seats, the screens waiting to display the result of each shot. The entire scene was designed to do no more than showcase the sniper's skill, and to test Ahmed's ability in front of the eyes of this special audience.