Fire Hidden Iron, Whirlwind Stab!

There are many places to exchange Contribution Points for supplies in the buffer zone.

For example, the supply exchange next to the large meat canteen below the staff dormitory where Cheng Ye lives sells many scarce controlled goods.

But there is only one place in the entire buffer zone where one can buy the extraordinary ore needed to forge Melee Weapons.

"Xingfu Great Wall Station!"

The station announcer's voice sounded. Cheng Ye's eyelids twitched, and he got off the train with the crowd.

As the place closest to the Xingfu Great Wall, it has undoubtedly become the center of the buffer zone's center.

Look up.

The great wall, over thirty meters high, stood like a celestial chasm, abruptly cutting off the countless prying eyes from the buffer zone.

Under the sunlight, the wall's surface was pitted, and some areas were covered with dark brown patches, it was unclear if they were dried bloodstains or corrosive marks left by an Infected's surprise attack.

At the foot of the great wall, ten-meter-high metal watchtowers stood in rows, evenly spaced and encircling at fifty-meter intervals.

And in the center of these watchtowers was the place where hundreds of thousands of buffer zone residents dreamed of passing through.

The Gate of Happiness!

A massive alloy gate, about fifteen meters high and seven meters wide.

"No wonder the original owner, after passing through this gate, was so terrified that he took his own life within a day."

Standing in the center of the street directly facing the gate.

Cheng Ye's gaze passed through the small gate for daily personnel circulation beneath the main gate and saw a corner of the Inner City's iceberg beyond the passage.

It was indeed like two severed worlds.

The buffer zone was filled with the ancient aura of the Old Era, while the Inner City was the technological metropolis of human fantasy.

Whether it was the spotless alloy ground or the towering buildings whose neon lights flickered even during the day, they all evoked an irresistible urge to rush in and explore.

Unfortunately, the strict Contribution Point rules had long kept 99.9% of the people in the buffer zone outside the Inner City, and Cheng Ye, an Inspector, was no exception.

Unless he could one day ascend to Station Chief Ding Yishan's position, he might have the opportunity to return to the Inner City from time to time.

Shifting his gaze away from the great wall, the streets on both sides were crowded with shops, ranging from weapon modification stores to second-hand protective suit stalls, with the air mixed with the smell of machine oil, rust, and a faint scent of disinfectant.

As the safest place in the buffer zone, ninety percent of Contribution Point transactions took place here every day.

Cheng Ye scanned the area and quickly found his target, a nondescript two-story building squeezed among the many shops.

[Extraordinary Ore Materials - Buffer Zone Branch]

This is the only place in the buffer zone where extraordinary ores can be purchased, and the only place that offers ore forging services.

After a buyer places an order, it is transmitted to the Inner City, where master blacksmiths will complete the crafting. The finished product is then transported back to the buffer zone via truck to finalize the transaction.

"Sir, do you require a handy weapon to be forged?"

Seeing Cheng Ye walk straight towards the shop, the greeter standing in front of it's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward.

"Yes."

"Do you have your own materials for us to forge with, or would you like to purchase materials from the shop?"

"Purchase."

Cheng Ye was brief and to the point, not wanting to reveal his intentions at the entrance of the busy shop. He understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.

The greeter immediately understood and beckoned Cheng Ye into the shop, gently closing the door behind him.

"Hmm?"

"To be frank, sir, our shop deals with rare customers. We might not have business for three years, but when we do, it sustains us for three more."

After speaking, he continued, "The ores in the shop are samples. If you like a certain type, you'll have to place a remote order, and a master craftsman from the Inner City will forge it. If you need a weapon urgently, we also have ready-made finished products. Order now, and it can be delivered to you this afternoon!"

"Let me see the extraordinary ores first."

"Certainly, please follow me upstairs."

Following the greeter, Xiao Cui, to the second floor, Cheng Ye finally noticed how few people were in the shop.

One on the first floor, one on the second.

Including Xiao Cui, there were only three people in the entire shop, which indeed lived up to the saying of "dealing with rare customers."

"Master Liu, this guest wishes to view the extraordinary ores. Please assist him."

After introducing Cheng Ye, Xiao Cui nodded and quickly left down the stairs, leaving them with ample private space.

The Master Liu he mentioned was a burly, seven-foot-tall man.

His face was covered in a thick beard, making him look quite unkempt.

"We currently only have three types of extraordinary ores in stock. What kind of weapon are you looking to forge?"

"A short blade. I only need to mix in a little."

"Naturally. If it were all extraordinary ores, the price would start at tens of thousands of Contribution Points at least."

Master Liu chuckled freely. "Besides, extraordinary ores aren't as good as the rumors suggest. The more you add, the better. In the end, this stuff is one of the sources of infection caused by the transgressions of extraordinary beings. The more you add, the more likely it is to harm the user."

"There's such a thing?"

Cheng Ye's heart stirred. He hadn't expected that extraordinary materials would have such a hidden depth.

"Short blades emphasize inch-force to the throat, swallowing blood up close. Adding too much sharp mineral material would actually make it lose its agility. Coincidentally, the shop recently received a good material suitable for forging blades."

As he spoke, Master Liu bent down and rummaged under the counter for a moment, pulling out a transparent glass bottle.

A fire-red stone lay quietly at the bottom of the bottle. It was about the size of a gold bean, with a layer of visible, fine patterns flowing across its surface, faintly shimmering with firelight.

This is the mineral material that contains the power of an extraordinary?

Cheng Ye's eyes widened. This was the first time since his transmigration that he had seen something completely absent in modern times.

Just through the glass, although this piece of ore looked beautiful and mysterious, he couldn't discern any other secrets.

"Fire Hidden Iron. Adding just 3g will grant basic characteristics. Specifically, the first strike will have an increase in speed and power, with the magnitude of the bonus depending on the user's force-exerting technique, ranging from a minimum of 5% to a maximum of around 10%."

"That magical?"

Cheng Ye's heart warmed, and he blurted out, "How many Contribution Points?"

"1g costs 50 points. If you add 3g, along with suitable auxiliary materials and labor, it'll be 200 Contribution Points."

"H-how much?"

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Cheng Ye froze.

50 Contribution Points for just 1g?

Good heavens, considering the purchasing power of Contribution Points in the buffer zone, this price is so high that ordinary people wouldn't even have the right to look at it.

"Please understand, the cost of excavating and finding this kind of mineral material is also immense. Who knows how many lives were sacrificed? Moreover, this kind of thing is essentially one less each time it's used; it cannot be mass-produced."

Master Liu's words echoed what Liu Bi had said before.

Many Scavengers tirelessly scoured the Wasteland precisely for the purpose of finding such extraordinary mineral materials and striking it rich overnight.

If the price were ordinary, who would risk their lives and venture out into the Wasteland, risking their bodies to be exposed?

"Alright, can you give me a discount, or perhaps allow some credit for now?"

Cheng Ye fumbled in his pocket and pulled out his identification badge. He introduced himself, "I'm a newly appointed Inspector at the Checkpoint. I haven't been in office for long, so I don't have many Contribution Points on hand right now. Could you be accommodating?"

Master Liu instinctively wanted to refuse, but after hearing the word "Inspector," he paused, showing some hesitation.

After thinking for a moment, he stood up. "Please wait a moment. Let me communicate with the main store and see what the manager's decision is."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble."

Master Liu put the glass bottle back on the counter, stood up, and walked into the only private room on the second floor. He took out his Defense Communicator and made a call.

"Master Su, it's like this."

After briefly describing Cheng Ye's situation, Master Liu added at the end, "Although this Inspector looks young, he shouldn't be all show. He has some real skill."

"Oh?" A doubtful question came from the other end of the receiver, but no further doubts were raised.

"Then give him a discount. Subtract the labor and basic consumables, and just charge him for the extraordinary materials."

"Understood."

After hanging up, Master Liu came out to give the quote.

Cheng Ye was a bit stunned. Even if he only charged for the extraordinary ore, it would still cost 150 points.

He could only brace himself and say, "I wonder if there's any room for negotiation. I only have 143 points right now. Can I consider the remaining 7 points as a loan?"

"Seven points?"

Master Liu had the authority to make this decision. He immediately nodded, "No problem. Please follow me to choose the short blade form."

Inside the private room, the blueprints were spread out, showing dozens of different short blade forms.

From common reconnaissance daggers and tactical straight knives to more versatile bayonets and folding knives.

Cheng Ye browsed through them, and his gaze suddenly fixed on a unique silhouette that deviated from ancient weapon forging principles and leaned towards modern United Blades.

"Whirlwind Stab. It's a rather brutal weapon," Master Liu introduced. "The tip is sharp as a cone, and it has a false edge. When piercing, it can use the momentum to twist and widen the wound. If it hits a vital spot, coupled with the two twists at the back of the tip, its lethality can only be described as terrifying."

"Furthermore, this Whirlwind Stab is equipped with a threaded quick-connect interface. It can be attached to a steel pipe to serve as a spear shaft, turning it into a mid-range triangular short spear."

"Then I'll choose this one!"

Cheng Ye decided almost without hesitation.

Extraordinary ore was so expensive, and he wouldn't be able to accumulate enough Contribution Points to forge a second one in a short period.

Therefore, choosing the Whirlwind Stab, which could serve as self-defense at close range and transform into a mid-range short spear at any time, was equivalent to saving 150 points directly.

"A wise choice."

A hint of surprise flashed in the corners of Master Liu's narrowed eyes, but he quickly hid his emotions within his wrinkles.

Having been in this line of work for over a decade, he could basically judge a person's personality from the weapon form they chose.

For example, someone who chose an extended-handle tactical knife and still felt insecure was definitely related to being greedy for life and afraid of death.

And for example, a ruthless person who immediately uses the Three Inch Piercing Thorn is likely someone who has been living on the edge of a knife for years.

Inspector, choosing the Whirlwind Stab, which aims to kill on contact rather than deal with Infected?

Interesting!

In the past, anyone who dared to use this move was basically a tough character who tied their life to their belt.

"Forging will take 3 days. You can pick it up anytime after 1 PM on July 1st."

ps: Modern United Blades have indeed surpassed ancient blades in functionality, and with the influence of advances in material science, their lethality is only higher, not lower. This time, I didn't use common swords and blades again.

ps2: Seeking votes, collections, and continued reading. The early stages of an original worldview are at a significant disadvantage in pacing; it's impossible to compete with fanfiction. Please support!