The Non-Lethal Gun - Elephant Hunt

Ma Ran wiped his face and discovered a young man wearing night vision goggles pointing a gun at him.

The other person was wearing the exact same yellow and green dual-colored uniform as Liu Huadie, He Nanguang, and Wu Di. He was tall and powerfully built, appearing to be around 1.95 meters in height.

Ma Ran shifted his gaze to the gun in the man's hand. "I am Ma Ran from Caolu Academy. I came to Area A3 for field research about a week ago."

"Pointing a gun at someone is not a good habit."

The weapon, resembling a Desert Eagle with a matte black finish and large caliber bullets, was named "Elephant Hunt."

This weapon was incredibly powerful, living up to its name by being capable of taking down an African elephant with a single shot.

Elephant Hunt was specifically developed for inner energy cultivators and was one of China's unique first-generation extraordinary weapons.

Its recoil was immense. An ordinary person firing this gun might dislocate their wrist before the bullet even hit its target.

Ma Ran remembered it well because Wu Di, in his past life, often used a novice guardian whose wrist bones were shattered by a single shot from this weapon as a negative example.

"The current time is 1:05 AM."

The tall young man pushed up his night vision goggles with his left hand, looking at Ma Ran expressionlessly, and said coldly, "At this hour, no normal person would be wandering around here alone."

"I never point a gun at a fellow member of another academy."

"But you..."

"Are you really human?"

Ma Ran had to admit that his actions might seem strange to outsiders.

However...

The other person's extreme reaction and high level of vigilance also revealed a lot.

"In the entirety of Area A3, even discounting transient individuals, there should be eleven hundred regularly stationed personnel who have undergone rigorous training and possess high military aptitude."

The tall young man continued coldly, "But there isn't a single person awake here right now!"

"Everyone I've seen has fallen into a deep sleep."

"No matter what method is used, they cannot be woken up."

Hearing this, Ma Ran calmly said, "If senior doesn't believe me, the identification I carry should prove my identity."

The highly vigilant young man narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling sweat begin to bead on his palms.

Despite being stared down by the muzzle of a gun, the young man before him maintained a composed and unhurried demeanor.

His calm gaze sent a shiver down the young man's spine.

"I've seen photos of Ma Ran."

The tall young man swallowed, feeling the hairs on his arms stand on end.

Even though he held the situation under control, the other person's reaction made him feel like he was the one in the weaker position.

He tried to steady his aim. "You do have a face identical to Ma Ran's, but that doesn't prove you are Ma Ran."

"Identification can also be faked, or stolen from someone else."

Ma Ran glanced at the tall young man and calmly stated his name and background: "Song Chu, an irregularly recruited member of Fulan Academy, joined the academy as an 'experiencer of supernatural phenomena,' with excellent talent in the Black Rock Martial Way."

"Before the second-term student Wu Di was recruited, your inner energy scores consistently ranked in the top three."

"You have extremely high vigilance because you encountered a group of extraterrestrial beings during a trip, resulting in the death of all your travel companions."

"If I'm not mistaken, you should have also filled four acupoints and cultivated to the Second Stage of Inner Qi."

As he spoke, Ma Ran casually moved his shoulder and neck joints.

A moment later, he looked at Song Chu and said softly, "Since you know who I am, you should understand..."

"Even with 'Elephant Hunt,' you absolutely cannot pose any threat to me."

"You are tall, well-built, have excellent athletic ability, strong innate endowments, and your combat capability has reached the average level of the Third Stage of Inner Qi."

"You are very strong."

Ma Ran looked at him approvingly. "Very strong!"

"With your innate endowments and inner energy augmentation, some fully armed elite special forces soldiers wouldn't be your match."

"But..."

"I am currently at the Sixth Stage of Inner Qi."

"Perhaps you don't quite grasp the concept of the Sixth Stage of Inner Qi."

"In that case..."

"Let me show you now."

As Ma Ran spoke, he slowly raised his hand and tapped forward a few times.

Seeing his movement, Song Chu's pupils dilated instantly. He was about to fire at a non-vital area to stop Ma Ran's dangerous action.

But he tragically discovered that his hands were completely unresponsive!

No!

Not just his hands!

His entire body had fallen into a state of stiffness.

It was as if he'd been acupoint-struck, just like in those wuxia novels!

"Theoretically speaking, as long as one reaches the Fifth Stage of Inner Qi, they can use inner energy projectiles to paralyze a target's limbs and disrupt their nervous system's normal function without causing fatal damage."

Ma Ran casually walked up to Song Chu, explaining as he took the Elephant Hunt from the man's hand. "Don't worry."

"This state you're in will only last for about three seconds."

"You'll recover very soon."

Before long, Song Chu gradually regained his ability to move.

He looked at Ma Ran with a hint of defiance. "Weren't you afraid I'd shoot just now?"

Song Chu actually had the chance to pull the trigger.

It was just that his hesitation had cost him the optimal moment to win.

Ma Ran almost burst out laughing.

Afraid?

Why would he be afraid of a child's toy?

The Elephant Hunt was famously known as "The Non-Lethal Gun."

Perhaps due to the rapid pace of technological advancement, or perhaps because it was merely a transitional product.

From its inception to its retirement, all five hundred Elephant Hunts combined had never managed to kill a single alien lifeform.

As a seasoned civilization guardian who had been baptized by gunfire, let alone a small pistol, even if three or five semi-automatic rifles were aimed at Ma Ran, he wouldn't feel fear.

He wouldn't even experience a rapid heartbeat.

"My neural reflex speed is much faster than yours."

Ma Ran took out a wet wipe and cleaned the stolen handgun.

He toyed with the Elephant Hunt in his hand and said with absolute certainty, "Unless there's a sudden earthquake, you have no chance of hitting me."

"Within ten shots, your probability of hitting me is zero."

"And the Elephant Hunt's magazine capacity is only five rounds."

Song Chu stared blankly as Ma Ran disassembled the Elephant Hunt into a pile of parts in one second and reassembled the firearm in another two.

The entire process was incredibly smooth and displayed extreme proficiency.

Song Chu wiped the sweat dripping down his chin and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, that was my mistake just now."

"I hope you can forgive me."

The other party had already countered him and hadn't immediately resorted to killing.

From this perspective, Ma Ran was indeed very likely human, not an Earthling disguised by some dangerous alien lifeform.

Ma Ran glanced at him indifferently, then shook the custom pistol named "Elephant Hunt" in his hand. "Consider this as an apology."

"You also said earlier..."

"Everyone in Area A3, except possibly the two of us, has already fallen unconscious."

"This is an emergency situation at Red Alert level or higher."

"We must find a way to resolve this crisis!"

Ma Ran was a petty person, but this misunderstanding, he let go of it lightly.

In his previous life, Song Chu had sacrificed himself during this "Area A3 Nightmare Incident."

As a mere inner energy cultivator, without sufficient vigilance, Song Chu would not have been qualified to take the Nightmare Mother down with him and resolve the crisis.

Song Chu looked at the "Elephant Hunt" in Ma Ran's hand, wanting to speak but hesitating.

What exactly had this person gone through?

The way he cleaned the equipment was too natural.

There was no hint of pretense; he was proficient to an infuriating degree, leaving no room for criticism.

It was as if he had done the same thing countless times before...

A wonderful day had begun!