Chapter 24: Ammunition and Enhancements

The two of them soon found themselves wandering into the ranged weapons section.

“I must say…” Qin Jinxuan began, her voice tinged with resignation as she glanced at Cheng Lan, who was walking ahead.

The Black Warrior-2 he had just picked up was already hanging from his waist, yet slung across his back was an oversized katana, approximately 2.2 meters long, which from a distance resembled nothing so much as a metallic staff.

“I know you’re adept with a katana… but… do you really need to carry so many?”

“What do you know? This is called being prepared for any eventuality.” Cheng Lan retorted, casting a glance back at Qin Jinxuan, his eyes sweeping over the two Black Warrior-2s slung across her back.

“The one on my waist is my primary weapon; the ones on your back are my spares, and the spares for my spares.”

The young woman couldn’t help but quip, “And what about that ridiculously long katana on your back, the one that could double as a clothesline? What’s that for?”

“This, my dear, is a counter-measure weapon, specifically designed for unique situations. If it weren’t so incredibly heavy, I’d absolutely grab another one.”

The great katana slung across Cheng Lan’s back was named Black Warrior-2C, an extended version of the Type 2. Aside from its increased length and weight, it was identical in every other aspect.

“Right, right,” Qin Jinxuan conceded with a dismissive nod. “You’re the experienced one, so everything you say must be true.”

“What kind of talk is that? Isn’t it simply the truth?”

Qin Jinxuan simply rolled her eyes at him, disinclined to argue further, and swiftly changed the subject. “So, are you planning to take even more things back?”

“Absolutely!” Cheng Lan declared, patting his backpack. “I brought the bag all this way; I’d be doing it a disservice if I didn’t fill it to the brim.”

He promptly halted, turning to retrieve a gleaming silver handgun from a nearby weapon rack.

“What kind of black-tech weapon is this now?” Qin Jinxuan asked, leaning closer to scrutinize the handgun. Its design was sleek and minimalist, yet it exuded a chilling, metallic aura.

“Oh, nothing like that,” Cheng Lan clarified. “This is just a regular handgun, though with a slightly larger caliber.” As he spoke, he deftly grabbed a magazine from the side, slid it into the grip with a satisfying ‘click,’ and pulled back the slide to chamber a round. He continued his explanation: “This particular gun is called Judgment, and it’s a 7.62mm caliber. For robots like the ones we just encountered, a single well-aimed shot is enough to take them down. The only drawback is its meager seven-round magazine capacity.”

“Oh, I see,” Qin Jinxuan murmured, nodding repeatedly, despite her complete unfamiliarity with the parameters Cheng Lan was so enthusiastically rattling off. Seeing his rare, sparkling-eyed excitement, she decided to humor him.

Holding the pistol in his right hand, Cheng Lan took a few casual aims before engaging the Judgment’s safety and tucking it into his backpack.

Next, he retrieved a smaller, black handgun from the rack, this one fitted with a suppressor on its muzzle.

Noticing Cheng Lan’s eagerness to launch into another detailed explanation, Qin Jinxuan, ever astute, preemptively asked, “And what’s this one called?”

“This gun is named Phantom,” he explained. “It’s a 5.56mm caliber. While its destructive power doesn’t quite match Judgment’s, it excels in stealth, making it ideal for concealed carry.”

Cheng Lan gripped the Phantom, mimed a few shots to gauge its feel, then placed it into his backpack as well.

“Question!”

“Go on.”

“In movies, don’t the most powerful firearms tend to be rifles or submachine guns? Why are you only taking handguns?” Qin Jinxuan asked, blinking her eyes, her pale pink irises brimming with curiosity.

“Rifles and submachine guns don’t quite suit my tactical style,” Cheng Lan explained. “I primarily focus on close-quarters combat.”

“What about shotguns, then?”

“Oh, you know quite a bit,” he remarked, sounding genuinely surprised. “Shotguns have too much recoil; I can’t manage them with one hand.”

“Why must you always hold a gun with one hand?”

“Because my other hand needs to hold a blade.” He flicked the tsuba (TL Note: The handguard of a Japanese sword) of the katana at his waist.

“Got it!”

While chatting with Qin Jinxuan, Cheng Lan had already crammed all the replacement parts, modification components, maintenance tools, and a selection of magazines and ammunition for both handguns into his backpack.

Now, his backpack contained not only these items but also a disassembled Overwatch sniper rifle along with its various accessories and ammunition, in addition to four high-frequency daggers.

A few more small gadgets, and the bag would be completely full.

“What about a sniper rifle?” Qin Jinxuan suddenly interjected, a spark of insight gleaming in her eyes. “Surely a sniper rifle would be perfectly suited to your abilities, wouldn’t it? You could fire a shot, instantly teleport away, and then continue attacking from a new position.” As she spoke, she even mimed a sniping gesture.

Cheng Lan, upon hearing this, cast a slightly astonished look her way.

‘Indeed, worthy of being my “fated rival,” he mused. ‘To think she could discern my talent for sniping so quickly.’

“It’s already in the bag,” Cheng Lan replied, patting his backpack.

“Huh? When did that happen?”

“Just now, when I went to the lookout tower. I noticed that sniper rifle was quite effective for both of us, so I took it.”

****

Finally, the two of them arrived at the auxiliary tools section.

From a weapon rack, Cheng Lan once again collected thirty throwing knives, preparing to stow them in his backpack.

“What are these now?” Qin Jinxuan inquired, observing the throwing knives of various colors in Cheng Lan’s hands.

“The ones with purple blades are called EMP Throwing Knives,” Cheng Lan explained, holding one up to demonstrate. “Upon hitting an electronic device, they release a powerful electromagnetic pulse, capable of directly paralyzing the target’s circuit system.”

He then swapped it for one with a green blade. “This is a Data Throwing Knife, specifically designed to target mechs or any other objects with data processing capabilities. A hit from this will immediately subject the system to a DDOS attack, causing it to overload instantly.”

Finally, he gestured to the remaining knives. “As for these seemingly ordinary ones, they are High-Frequency Throwing Knives. By utilizing high-frequency vibrations, they can significantly enhance both the range and power of the throws.”

With practiced ease, Cheng Lan bundled the throwing knives by type and neatly tucked them into the backpack’s compartments.

“Alright, I think we’ve acquired enough supplies. We can head out now,” he declared, stretching languidly.

At that moment, Lidoa bounded over. She moved like a leaping fawn, her twin ponytails swaying and tracing graceful arcs in the air.

“Master, I’m all done too!”

“What a coincidence!” Cheng Lan’s eyes lit up as he turned to Lidoa. “Did you manage to get anything good?”

“Mhm, mhm!” Lidoa affirmed with an immediate nod.

She raised a snow-white arm, and with a series of subtle ‘clacks,’ a miniature missile launcher “grew” out from above her forearm.

“Miniature missiles, excellent! Anything else?” Cheng Lan observed with keen interest.

“Ta-da!”

After retracting the miniature missiles into her arm, Lidoa then showcased her delicate pink hand, from which a circular launch port popped out, revealing a faint, pulsating red glow within.

“Even a laser cannon is installed! Is there more?!” Cheng Lan’s anticipation grew fiercely.

“Hehe~” Lidoa hummed, a playful smirk curving her lips. Retracting the device on her hand, she lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands, revealing her shapely legs encased in white stockings.

With a light spring, the young woman leaped nearly 1.5 meters high. Yet, that was not all; as if stepping on invisible stairs, she pushed off again in mid-air—

A double jump!

Gracefully twisting her body in the air, Lidoa’s skirt flared slightly, and her silver ponytails arced with her movement as she executed a flawless backflip. Then, her toes barely brushed the ground, landing as lightly as a feather, almost without a sound.

Cheng Lan immediately understood; the young woman was showcasing the newly installed prosthetic components in her legs.

This was the effect of the reinforced tendons, a type of prosthetic enhancement.