System-Made, System-Perfect

Ruan Wenbo temporarily abandoned the idea of buying a Leman Russ tank. That thing was a gold-devouring beast, a bottomless pit that had to be filled with countless merits and Players' lives. At this stage, the Death Seekers company clearly could not afford to support one.

So what exactly should these ten thousand-plus merits be spent on?

He turned his attention back to the System Store and began seriously sorting through his purchasing priorities.

First came equipment for personal use, such as Carapace Armor, Bolt Pistols, and Power Swords... As long as ordinary Players saved up enough merits, they would naturally buy whatever suited their preferences and combat styles. That was their individual growth path. As the Company Commander, he had no need to worry about it, much less use the collective's merits to foot the bill for any one person.

Then there were items that could only reach their full potential through teamwork, such as mortars and Heavy Stubbers... Those were squad weapons. The Squad Leaders understood their own squads' needs and personnel arrangements better than he did. That matter should be handled by the Squad Leaders as well, so he did not need to concern himself with it either.

After thinking it through, Ruan Wenbo found that his role had suddenly become much clearer. As the Company Commander, he only needed to consider purchasing "company-level" combat resources that could enhance the entire company's effectiveness and needed to be directly controlled by company headquarters.

Once his thinking was clear, finding the right target became easy.

Ruan Wenbo browsed through the "Company Command Equipment" category in the System Store. Before long, his gaze settled on something inconspicuous yet critically important—a radio.

That was it!

The more Ruan Wenbo thought about it, the more suitable it seemed for their current situation.

First, it was an item only he, as Company Commander, had the authority to purchase. Its requirements read: [Company Commander rank or Commissar of equivalent rank]. That meant he would not have to worry about buying the same thing as the Players below and wasting resources.

Second, it had an extremely low learning curve. They only needed to know how to turn it on and off, tune frequencies, and speak. With the assistance system, that would be effortless. It was nothing like tanks or aircraft, those hardcore technical machines where merely knowing how to operate them was not enough. Radios did not require "tuition fees."

Lastly, and most importantly, the Players desperately needed a reliable means of instant communication. Relying on the forum to relay messages was not only absurdly out of place, but also far too inefficient. The battlefield changed by the second. By the time you finished making a post, your teammates saw it, and then replied, it would already be too late. If an urgent situation arose and they posted a request for help only for no one to see it for half a day, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Having thought it all through, Ruan Wenbo stopped hesitating and decisively pressed the purchase button.

The next second, accompanied by a dull boom, a dark green metal crate full of crude industrial heft appeared out of thin air and slammed onto the cargo hold cover in front of him and JK, making the entire panel hum.

A translucent status panel automatically unfolded above the item.

[Name: VR-300 Backpack Radio]

[Type: Tool]

[Quality: Fine]

[Function: Maintains uninterrupted communication across standard open terrain within a range of 100–120 kilometers.]

[Remarks: A VP-300 backpack radio produced by the Forge World of Voss Prime. Its communication frequency range is 40–48 MHz, using FM modulation, with a total of 41 channels. Although its weight of 16 kilograms makes it somewhat heavy for a radio, its broad and stable communication range and long operating time more than make up for this.]

With the radio in hand, a sense of novelty and curiosity surged through them. Ruan Wenbo and JK exchanged a glance, each seeing the same thought in the other's eyes—try it on the spot.

Although they did not have another radio to call back and forth with, they did not need one just to handle it and familiarize themselves with the controls. Besides, they had complete faith in products from the System Store. System-made meant system-perfect!

"Come on, give me a hand," Ruan Wenbo called.

The two of them worked together to open the radio's heavy metal casing. A smell of ancient machinery, mixed with engine oil and dust, washed over them. As they fiddled with the complicated knobs and switches, a thought flashed through Ruan Wenbo's mind.

"If a tank I bought also appeared out of thin air like this... then before buying anything big in the future, I'd better send someone to investigate the terrain first and find an open area. Otherwise, if it spawned in some narrow alley and got stuck there with no way to drive out, this game doesn't have an [Unstuck] option."

After some experimentation, several vacuum tubes on the radio lit up with a dim yellow glow amid a faint electrical hum, signaling that the heavy device had begun operating. With JK's help, Ruan Wenbo strapped the sixteen-kilogram behemoth onto his back and felt its solid weight. He picked up the handset and began trying to call out on every frequency.

"Calling... calling... This is the Death Seekers company. Respond if you can hear me. Test, test."

"Try another channel."

"Bzzz... bzzz... Calling... is anyone there? Testing Channel 2."

"Bzzzz..."

Though they were making calls, neither of them actually expected to reach anyone. Pedetia's situation had long since become a complete mess. They were merely testing the radio's performance and getting familiar with its operation.

They switched channels one after another, but the handset gave them nothing except monotonous static.

"...Testing Channel 37. This is the Imperial Guard Death Seekers company. If you can hear—"

Just as Ruan Wenbo recited the call sign out of habit, the monotonous crackling abruptly stopped. A voice filled with intense electrical interference, yet incomparably clear and excited, suddenly exploded from the handset!

"By the Omnissiah! Reinforcements! Have reinforcements arrived?! This is Skitarii Alpha-7 Task Force! I repeat, this is Alpha-7 Task Force! Where are you?!"

Ruan Wenbo and JK froze instantly. Their eyes widened as they stared at each other. The surprise had come far too suddenly!

Ruan Wenbo immediately reacted. Gripping the handset tightly, he replied in a deep voice, "This is the Pedetia Planetary Army Death Seekers company! We are currently at the Chemical Refinery in the Underhive! Where are you? What is your situation?"

"Kadia! Praise the Machine God!" The voice on the other end was so excited that it became incoherent. "We're trapped in the Holy Trinity Forge Workshop in the Mid-hive! Heretics... a large number of heretics are besieging us! We are... we're protecting an important Relic!"

The Priest did not say what that Relic was, and Ruan Wenbo did not ask.

"Hold on! We'll organize a rescue as quickly as possible!" Ruan Wenbo promised solemnly.

"Thank you beyond measure! May the Machine God guide your path! We'll keep this channel open! Over!"

The communication ended, and the handset returned to its crackling electrical static.

Ruan Wenbo lowered the handset and exchanged another glance with JK. A meaningful smile appeared on JK's face. Lowering his voice, he spoke with the tone of someone who had discovered treasure. "Company Commander, the person who can make shells for our tank has arrived."

Ruan Wenbo's feelings were more complicated. Looking at the heavy radio on his back, he said thoughtfully, "If I hadn't bought this radio, or bought it later, or if... I hadn't called out on every frequency just now, would we have missed this Tech-Priest's call for help?"

JK thought for a moment, then shrugged. "With the way this game's developers operate, that really is possible... This is probably what they call a 'hidden quest.' Players have to trigger it themselves."

Ruan Wenbo did not dwell on the question any longer. His gaze sharpened as he decisively made his choice.

"I'll notify the other Players and Commissar Walter. The Death Seekers are taking this rescue and escort mission. Prepare to move to the Mid-hive—we need to lend this Tech-Priest a hand."