Star Crossbow X-6

Star Crossbow X-6

Back when he had been addicted to immersive online games, Su Shijie could ignore hunger and sleep, staying glued to the game even during class hours.

He rarely came out during this time. Even when he occasionally visited the market before, it had always been after class, usually just to buy some snacks.

This time, after leaving the classroom, Su Shijie was seriously wandering around the market for one of the rare times in his life.

His senses were indeed sharp, but it was obvious that a down-to-earth market like this was unlikely to have any truly hidden treasures.

Otherwise, forget bargain hunting—even with Su Shijie's remaining savings, he could afford most things suitable for him.

After buying a bag of salted pepper insect pupae, he began focusing on the weapons section.

The pale yellow oil paper was folded into an inverted triangle and stuffed full of plump insect pupae that were crispy outside and tender inside. Seasoned with salted pepper and fragrant spices from the forest, they were one of Su Shijie's favorite snacks. A large bag cost only 1 Credit Point.

There were quite a few people at the market today. Listening closely to their conversations, he learned that some had come from nearby shelters and Floating Cities to rest at Shelter P-314 before the Spirit Deer migration.

They had also brought along some local specialties and goods.

And because the Task Force had arrived today and ordered that no one was to leave freely before the Contamination Source was found, the market had become even livelier.

The hottest commodities in the market over the past few days had originally been the live-caught Black Feathered Spirit Fowl and Spirit Fowl eggs from Residential District 3.

But today, the Black Feathered Spirit Fowl had lost the spotlight. Several other decent products had drawn crowds of onlookers.

Most goods in the market cost anywhere from a few to a dozen or so Credit Points. Only homemade guns and tobacco were generally more expensive, while goods worth over a thousand were rarely seen.

Yet today, products priced at over ten thousand Credit Points had already appeared.

There were items specifically aimed at the Awakened Rank—or rather, at the people who had come here specifically to hunt.

Although the overwhelming majority of those gathered around these goods could not afford them, watching was human nature. Su Shijie was likewise drawn to a stall because he was somewhat interested in the item its owner was continuously displaying and explaining.

The stall owner was a burly old man with grizzled hair and beard.

With Su Shijie's sensitivity, he could faintly sense a chilling, murderous aura on him.

Uh, he was most likely an old hunter. And if he was Awakened Rank, he might well have been over a hundred years old.

Beside him stood an equally burly giant with an honest-looking face and a granite-like bare upper body. Their faces somewhat resembled each other, though Su Shijie could not tell whether he was the old man's grandson or great-grandson.

The honest-looking giant was currently displaying an extremely oversized crossbow.

When unfolded, it was over two meters wide and more than one and a half meters long.

Su Shijie's sharp eyesight let him see the orderly fine lines on the crossbow body. It should be capable of extensive folding, disassembly, and assembly.

Based on the positions of those seams, he calculated that this giant crossbow could be folded and disassembled into a portable form measuring 100 cm by 85 cm.

And although the giant crossbow's surface coating had already dulled somewhat, while the grip and trigger had naturally acquired a worn patina, it was still...

An electromagnetic weapon. It should be a hybrid weapon combining electromagnetism and elastic potential energy.

The crossbow body was made of high-strength alloy, while its string was some unknown material—likely a high-strength synthetic material, perhaps refined with ingredients from Spirit Beasts as well.

Those strong enough could manually cock it, or they could load Energy Blocks to charge and build power, using a motorized winch to cock it automatically. When fired, it could also receive additional assistance from electromagnetic force.

Its power should be considerable—far beyond ordinary Firearms.

Judging by its appearance, calling it an electromagnetic ballista would not be an exaggeration.

Since he only had a small-caliber ordinary Electromagnetic Handgun, Su Shijie was quite interested in this kind of high-powered weapon.

"Friends from Shelter 314, this 'Star Crossbow X-6' is immensely powerful. Even if it hits a high-level Transformation Tier Spirit Beast, it can kill it outright. One standard Energy Block can only charge it five times, but the slot below can hold five blocks. Its total weight is only five kilograms. During this Spirit Deer migration, as long as you successfully hunt a Transformation Tier Spirit Beast, you might earn your money back..."

The burly old man continued introducing the advantages of the electromagnetic crossbow in a booming voice.

The combined price of all materials from an Awakened Rank Spirit Beast usually ranged in the thousands when sold in the city, depending on its level.

As for Transformation Tier Spirit Beasts, even one that had only just broken through could sell for more than twenty thousand once all its parts were properly sorted.

"Have you gone senile, old man? Even Awakened Rank masters wouldn't dare risk fighting a Transformation Tier Spirit Beast. Who would use a crossbow that fires one shot at a time?"

"As long as you have purchasing qualifications, an electromagnetic machine pistol only costs twenty thousand in the city. Switch it to armor-piercing mode, and Awakened Rank masters can slaughter Awakened Rank Spirit Beasts."

"The M-7 hand cannon can threaten Transformation Tier beasts too. It costs more, sure, but its rate of fire is way faster than your crossbow."

"What's the use of power alone? Are you planning to siege a city?"

"..."

There were many spectators, and these days plenty of people liked studying the various specifications of Firearms. Although most of them were not qualified to buy them, they could still rattle off all sorts of parameters.

An electromagnetic machine pistol had about the same power as an ordinary Electromagnetic Handgun, but its rate of fire was on an entirely different level. Even in armor-piercing mode, it would be difficult to inflict lethal damage on high-level Awakened Rank Spirit Beasts, but it was enough to drive them off.

Su Shijie estimated that even with level-four Tough Skin and a Combat Suit, he would not dare take a full burst head-on. The M-7 was even more out of the question—that was his father's weapon.

Although the old man kept emphasizing its power, its firing rate and portability were ultimately serious flaws.

Its practical use in the wilderness was rather limited. The grandfather-grandson pair had probably been fooled somewhere into buying this secondhand item, then discovered after using it that it was not what they had expected and wanted to unload it.

Still, the power of these bolts—or rather, this ballista—should, according to its specifications, be much greater per shot than his father's M-7.

His father's M-7 had an official price tag of one hundred thousand Credit Points, and even then, one needed purchasing qualifications.

According to the old man, this Star Crossbow X-6 also had an official price of fifty thousand and likewise required purchasing qualifications, though the qualifications were easier to obtain.

As long as a single shot hit, it could pose a fatal threat to high-level Transformation Tier Spirit Beasts.

But the premise was that it had to hit.

Su Shijie really was interested.

In portable mode, assembling it might be troublesome for others, but as long as he could buy himself a little time, he could simply use telekinesis to assemble it. With a few rounds of practice, it should be very fast.

It was just a shame there were too few of them. In its folded and disassembled portable form, a slightly larger backpack could easily fit five or six. Charging could be done automatically with the motor, and there was almost no recoil.

As long as he had enough of them, problems with accuracy and firing rate could be solved.

To be honest, assault rifles were difficult to buy. Their official price was eighty thousand, but if he really bought a used one on the black market without purchasing qualifications, it would probably cost over one hundred and fifty thousand. It could be even more expensive when supplies were tight, and they were far too conspicuous.

At first, the old man had asked for forty thousand, claiming that the item also required purchasing qualifications and that he was already selling at a loss. With the Spirit Deer migration approaching, there would surely be someone who recognized its value.

But after the people nearby berated him for trying to fool an outsider, he lowered the price to thirty thousand on his own just as Su Shijie began considering where he could get a few more.

He really has no head for business. I could probably haggle him down even further.

Su Shijie shook his head inwardly before speaking.

"I'll take it. You need to give me all your bolts too."

The old man had been stunned to see such a young face wanting it, but upon hearing someone nearby mutter that he was the instructor's foolish son, he immediately began packing it without another word.

The way he moved as though afraid Su Shijie would change his mind, along with the muttering from those nearby, made Su Shijie's forehead twitch.

Since when had he acquired the title of the instructor's foolish son?

Was his identity as an Advanced Class student fake? Was his earning an Awakening Potion fake?

Everyone he had met along the way today had clearly been praising him!

His Advanced Class classmates and every Awakened Rank person he had encountered had greeted him with smiles, yet these spectators were talking about him like this.

Too much...

But grumbling inwardly was one thing. Su Shijie could not exactly jump out and explain himself over that. After putting away the folded crossbow and hanging it on the slot on the back of his Combat Suit, he asked the grandfather-grandson pair,

"Sir, roughly how much are the purchasing qualifications for this kind of crossbow worth? I want to get one each for my father, brother, and sister."

When Su Shijie stopped him, the old man had thought he wanted to back out. But upon hearing the rest, he could not help laughing.

"Actually, I've accumulated plenty of purchasing qualifications over the years. But young man, honestly, the Star Crossbow X-2 is usually enough for the two of us. It's enough to hunt Awakened Rank Spirit Beasts, and we can manually cock it quickly without too much trouble.

"If your father is a shelter instructor, the X-4 should be enough. Otherwise, relying entirely on the motor to cock it is a bit slow."

Perhaps because he felt he had taken advantage of Su Shijie once, the old man offered a tactful reminder.

"What? Are you looking down on me? Do you think I can't afford it?"

Since his reputation was already ruined, Su Shijie could not be bothered trying to save it. He might as well go all the way. At the very least, this was quite convenient...

Updates are a bit slow during the public release period, ahem...