Testing the Gun

Lin An did not intend to personally participate in Allen's arms dealing, much to the disappointment of the Bullet Screen masters, who were eager to see how an arms deal actually went down.

However, Lin An had no interest in it. There were many reasons he didn't want to get involved, the most important of which was that it was boring.

The deal Allen had arranged with his friend was set for the evening, so after finishing his conversation with Lin An, Allen took the money and a gun, got into the car driven by Catherine, and set off.

[They're just heading out like that? One man and one woman, I'm really worried they'll run off with the money.]

[Exactly, exactly.]

[Alright, stop with the sarcasm. If you're really that worried, why don't you open a sub-camera and control a Crow to follow them and take a look?]

[Yeah, there are still Crows! Come on, you big spenders with points, let us tag along and see how Allen completes this arms deal.]

[In case they get double-crossed, we'll be the first to know and can notify the streamer to go save the day.]

The Bullet Screen was being alarmist, but the worst-case scenario did not occur. Around eight o'clock that night, Allen and Catherine drove back to the abandoned factory district, then walked through the small alleys to return to the furniture factory hideout in secret.

"Darnell, go bring the stuff up."

After Darnell went downstairs, his footsteps echoed with a dull thud against the iron stairs, followed by the sound of the first-floor iron door being pulled open and shut.

[Five thousand dollars just handed over like that, the streamer is really bold.]

[So boring. A cripple and a mom with a kid go to buy guns, and nothing even happened.]

[To the guy above, your mouth is truly toxic.]

[Allen is an honest man, and the guy selling the guns turned out to be an honest man too. I'm speechless, there's no drama to watch.]

Lin An glanced at the Bullet Screen and felt a bit speechless himself. He wasn't sure if he was mentally ill, but the viewers posting these comments definitely had something wrong with them.

Low voices of Darnell and Allen conversing came from downstairs, followed by the sound of three people walking up the stairs.

The three of them carried the weapons up to the second floor.

Darnell was in the lead, carrying an AK over his shoulder like a Ni Ge robber about to hold up a bank. He swaggered through the door, his left hand clutching a handbag that rattled with his every movement.

Catherine followed behind. As a young mother, she was struggling slightly while carrying a canvas bag in each hand.

Allen brought up the rear. Leaning on his two crutches, his back remained straight even though his movement was difficult.

The second floor had been rearranged by Old Joe.

The room, which had previously been piled with trash, had been cleared out. The entrance was partitioned off and locked with a makeshift wooden door. Inside, a few simple folding stools and a folding table provided by the Bullet Screen masters formed a meeting room.

Lin An was already inside. He had moved the folding table to the center, and the neatly cut cardboard was spread out on top. An LED light hung from the steel beam overhead, turned to its brightest setting, casting a stark, pale light over the tabletop.

Darnell leaned the AK against the table, the butt of the gun hitting the cardboard with a heavy, dull thud.

He casually set the handbag down by his feet, and Catherine followed suit, placing the canvas bags she was holding next to it.

Then she took a step back, standing by the door next to Allen.

Lin An withdrew his gaze from the two of them and looked at the weapons on the table.

"Did the deal go smoothly?"

Allen nodded.

"The other party was a friend of a friend."

Lin An rested his hand on the edge of the table, his fingertips tapping unconsciously.

"Five thousand dollars, how much did you spend?"

"Three thousand one hundred for the guns and ammunition," Allen said.

"One thousand eight for the AK, two hundred for five hundred rounds of rifle ammo, five hundred for two M9s, one hundred for two hundred rounds of pistol ammo, and five hundred for ten grenades."

He paused for a second.

"One thousand nine left."

Lin An looked into his eyes and waited for a moment.

"No other extra expenses?"

Allen shook his head.

Lin An watched that shaking motion and scratched his head as well.

To be honest, Lin An hadn't initially thought Allen was a good person. Although he looked miserable and was a disabled man with a severed leg, considering his military background, Lin An had subconsciously viewed him as an executioner.

Unlike the U.S. military during World War II, the modern U.S. military was a massive mercenary group composed of thugs and murderers who fought only for money, not for honor.

Lin An didn't want to cite specific examples, but he hadn't trusted Allen from the start. Giving him money and promises was just a way to buy him off, to have Allen work for him temporarily and purchase the arms.

He hadn't expected that the money, which was essentially given to him, wouldn't be touched at all.

Three thousand one hundred dollars had bought the equipment, and the remaining one thousand nine hundred was brought back and placed on the table in front of Lin An.

Lin An didn't know what Allen's deal was, but he decided to keep observing this man.

"Put it away."

He said.

"This is your reward, along with your salary for this month."

Allen's grey-blue eyes flickered.

"Boss..."

"You will be in charge of the security team."

Lin An said as he reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of bills bound by a rubber band. They were US dollars, loose bills, twenties and fifties, bundled into a thick stack with the rubber band pulled tight.

He placed the stack of cash on the table and pushed it forward.

"There is ten thousand here."

He said.

"If you can get in touch with anyone selling weapons and ammunition, use your discretion to acquire them. I need any and all ordnance. Furthermore, this also includes some funding for the security team; future weapon purchases can be used to equip them."

He paused for a moment.

"When the funds run out, come tell me."

Allen did not look at the money; he looked at Lin An and gave him a military salute.

"Yes, Boss."

He said.

"Is there anything else?"

"Reporting, no."

"Then you and Catherine go get some rest."

Lin An said, and Allen gathered the money, turned, and limped out with Catherine.

"Bro, you really trust that white... Allen?"

"Trust?"

Lin An smiled.

"That's too much of a luxury."

"Then why did you give him the money?"

Darnell was very confused. Ten thousand dollars was no small sum. An average blue-collar worker, like a driver, would need to work for half a year, after deducting necessary taxes, just to save that amount.

And that was assuming they didn't eat, drink, or spend a single cent on anything else.

But while it sounded like a lot, in the Jamaica Community, that money would only be enough to buy a decent car, two guns, and hire two pieces of cannon fodder to run errands for you for a month.

"Bro, you should have given that ten thousand to me..."

"If you need money, I can give you however much you want... but I won't give you this ten thousand, because this is a test."

Lin An cast his gaze toward Darnell, looking at this man who looked older than his years. He didn't like people of color, but the latter was an exception.

"Do you want me to put you through a test?"

"Uh."

Darnell didn't know what a test meant, but he keenly sensed it wasn't a good thing, so he immediately shook his head and waved his hands.

"No, no... actually, I'm not that kind of Ni Ge who talks about money..."

Lin An's gaze shifted from Darnell and landed on the AK on the table.

The Bullet Screen began to scroll.

[Host, take the gun apart and take a look. Check the condition of the gun. Don't just listen to him, see if it's worth 1800 dollars.]

[Host, do you know how to disassemble an AK?]

[If you don't know, you can learn. The Bullet Screen will teach you.]

[First, remove the magazine, then pull the bolt back to check if there are any bullets in the chamber.]

[This is the first step. No matter who hands you a gun, check the chamber first.]

Lin An reached for the AK and picked it up.

His first impression of the assault rifle was that it was rough.

Its surface coating was iron-grey or dark brown, and the grip, the edges of the ejection port, and the selector lever revealed the silvery-white color of the steel, marked with fine scratches.

Furthermore, the edges of the wooden handguard were worn smooth and shiny, with countless tiny scratches and dents on the surface. As soon as you put your hand on it, you could feel the uneven texture.

[Remove the magazine first. The magazine release is in front of the trigger guard. Just push it with your thumb.]

Lin An followed the instructions, and the steel magazine slid out of the well, feeling heavy in his hand.

[Check the bolt, pull it back and take a look.]

Following the prompts from the Bullet Screen, Lin An found the charging handle on the right side of the receiver, gripped it with his index and middle fingers, and pulled it back.

Click. The sound of the bolt sliding inside the receiver was dry and crisp, exposing the chamber inside the receiver.

Lin An brought his eyes close to take a look; there were no bullets inside.

After he released his finger, the bolt carrier pushed itself back, making a sound slightly louder than when he had pulled it open.

[Alright, judging by the sound, the recoil spring has issues.]

[Now look at the receiver cover. The AK receiver cover is removable; there's a latch at the back—press it down and push backward.]

Lin An flipped the gun over, found the square metal tab at the rear of the receiver cover, and pressed it with his thumb.

It was a bit stiff; the spring tension was much greater than he had anticipated, and his fingertip turned white from the pressure without the latch budging.

Lin An had no choice but to tuck the stock under his arm, change his angle, and press down with all his might...

Lin An's process of disassembling the gun was slow and difficult, and his performance made it clear even to Darnell, who also knew nothing about guns, that his bro seemed to have maxed out his theoretical knowledge but was handling a firearm for the first time. Although he was very familiar with the structure of the assault rifle, his movements were quite clumsy.

However, through these arduous motions, he still succeeded in removing the receiver cover, taking out the recoil spring and bolt carrier, and checking the inner wall of the gas tube. Seeing a ring of dark carbon buildup, he concluded that the barrel had about sixty percent of its service life remaining and that its accuracy at one hundred meters would be fine.

[Wait, streamer, flip the gun over. Look at the left side of the receiver, above the magazine release—something's not right there.]

[What's not right?]

[This gun doesn't seem to be an AK-47.]

[?]

Lin An, who was in the middle of reassembling the gun, stopped his movements and flipped the gun over with the left side of the receiver facing up.

Above the magazine release, on the surface of the receiver, his fingers indeed felt an irregular depression, and he could feel a few metal points slightly protruding from the surrounding receiver surface.

"There are a few small raised points."

[Confirmed, this is a Type 56 Assault Rifle, the Chinese copy of the AK-47. Looking at the elm wood material of the stock and handguard, this should be a first-generation Type 56.]

[Wait, what's the difference between a Type 56 and an AK-47?]

[The difference is that the Type 56 receiver is milled, while the AK-47 is stamped.]

[Also, the front sight base of the Type 56 is hooded, while the AK's is open. There's an even simpler way to tell: look at the bayonet lug. The Type 56 comes standard with a three-sided spike bayonet, which is foldable and welded under the barrel; it can't be removed.]

[This gun doesn't have a three-sided bayonet.]

Seeing the Bullet Screen, Lin An flipped the gun over to look under the barrel.

He hadn't noticed it before, but now that Lin An looked, he saw a piece of cut metal residue at the front end of the handguard, beneath the barrel.

[Now it's one hundred percent confirmed to be a Type 56; the three-sided bayonet was forcibly removed here.]

[Why would they remove it?]

[Not necessarily on purpose. Judging by the situation, this gun was likely captured by a U.S. soldier on the battlefield. Since it was a captured item, damage is normal. Its bayonet must have broken, so the soldier who got it simply used an angle grinder to cut it off.]

[So, is this gun good or bad? How does it compare to a genuine AK-47?]

[It depends. Because of the Chinese military industry's spirit of striving for excellence, the early-edition Type 56 was actually better than the Type 3 AK-47 it was modeled after. Looking at the wooden stock and handguard on the Type 56 in the streamer's hands, it's clearly a first-generation Type 56.]

[Later-produced plastic-version Type 56s were a bit worse in quality than the AK-47 because they skimped on materials. But this "worse" is in comparison to the genuine Soviet-produced AK-47, not the knockoffs from countries like Romania, Poland, or Bulgaria.]

[The AK-47s produced by those countries might be cheap, but their quality is actually inferior to the plastic-version Type 56. You could say that most of the AK-47s existing in the world today are actually Type 56s. The reputation of the AK-47 being high-quality and inexpensive was largely built up by the Type 56.]

[The cost of a genuine Soviet-produced AK-47 wasn't actually that low; it was just that the country later collapsed, leading to a fire sale of AK-47s. Combined with the influence of the Type 56, it gave the world the stereotype that the AK is very cheap.]

Lin An watched the Bullet Screen while fiddling with the Type 56 Assault Rifle, unable to put it down.

[So, is it worth buying a Type 56 for eighteen hundred U.S. dollars?]

[Not worth it in China, but in the United States... it's worth it.]

After playing with it for a while and simulating combat movements with the Type 56 without loading it, Lin An set it down and picked up the other two weapons to begin his inspection.

The Beretta M9 military pistol—there isn't much to say about this handgun. It was officially adopted in 1987. Early models had major flaws; there was a chance they would explode when fired, blowing the shooter's face off. Even after modifications, it still had quite a few issues.

The advantages of this gun are its decent capacity, with a fifteen-round double-stack magazine, and good ergonomics and accuracy. The downside is that the grip is a bit large; when Lin An held it to aim, it didn't feel as good as a Glock.

After a simple inspection of the chambers and barrels of these two Beretta M9s, he was not surprised to find that both guns showed many signs of use, though their previous owners had cherished them and maintained them well.

Overall, Lin An felt that these two military pistols were usable weapons. As for how well they performed, that would depend on actual combat results.