The reaction from the Heaven Dou delegation was exactly what Xu Mochen had expected. Without another word, he immediately had one of the Marine Corps members, an ordinary soldier, step forward.
He then began introducing the equipment on the soldier from head to toe. "This is the personal equipment of an ordinary soldier from our country. I'll start with what he's wearing. The helmet on his head is called the 'M131-Type' steel helmet. It's a military helmet made from a special alloy, wrapped in cloth on the outside to keep sunlight from reflecting off the metal surface and giving away his position."
"Moreover, this alloy can withstand attacks and effectively protect a soldier's head. The helmet's soft inner lining can also protect his head from injury in the event of a severe impact, while the inner insulating layer can block a certain degree of mental attacks from the enemy, protecting the brain from Mental Interference."
"Next is the combat uniform he's wearing underneath. Though the material itself is soft, it offers a degree of protection and is highly breathable, helping the soldier absorb some of the impact from outside forces."
"Then there's the 'Iron Wall 41-Type' Soul Guidance Armor covering his torso. Not only does it offer formidable physical defense, it can also help the wearer resist elemental attacks such as fire, ice, and lightning to a certain extent. Used together with the combat uniform, it can protect the soldier's body to the greatest possible extent. The front of the armor can also carry items such as magazines and grenades."
"Additionally, the Kui Ox Leather Gloves on his hands and his combat boots let soldiers move with ease across difficult terrain while offering good protection for their hands and feet."
"Next are these large glasses on the soldier's helmet, called 'Goggle 22-Type' protective goggles. They protect the eyes in special situations. The military belt around his waist also carries ammunition pouches, a tool bag, a general-purpose pouch, a military bayonet, and other items."
"The pack on his back is a military backpack. A blanket and a Gas Mask canister are attached to the outside. The canister contains a Gas Mask, which soldiers can wear to effectively filter out poisonous mists and other harmful gases. Inside the backpack are nonperishable compressed rations, a military entrenching tool for clearing paths, a compass for finding directions, a medical kit for emergency treatment, and a mess tin and canteen for eating and drinking..."
Xu Mochen continued at length, giving a detailed introduction to the personal equipment of the Sun Moon Empire's most ordinary soldiers. But the more he explained, the more Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi, and the others grew bewildered. Most of these things were completely unfamiliar to them!
Still, after hearing Xu Mochen explain the general function of each item, they gained a rough understanding of the pile of assorted equipment. And the more they learned, the more stunned the Heaven Dou Empire's delegation became. Such complex, comprehensive equipment could leave the gear of every soldier on the Douluo Continent in the dust!
And for the soldiers of the Sun Moon Empire, this was nothing more than ordinary equipment! One could glimpse the whole from a single part. It was enough to show just how immense the Sun Moon Empire's technological prowess, wealth, and resources were!
At last, Xu Mochen turned to the weapon in the soldier's hands, which looked like a "fire poker." "Now, this weapon is what I'd like to focus on. It's called the 'Silver Star 332-Type' Semi-automatic Rifle, and its magazine holds twelve rounds. Uh... since you don't know what firearms and bullets are, you can think of it as a crossbow and its bolts."
"This rifle has been classified as a second-level standard Soul Guidance Weapon. It requires no Soul Power to use, has a theoretical rate of fire of forty rounds per minute, and an effective range of six hundred meters. It can reliably pierce the full-power defenses of conventional Soul Masters below level forty. Soul Masters in the forties could also be in mortal danger if their defenses aren't strong enough, while those in the fifties could be seriously injured if caught off guard."
His words were like a boulder thrown into a river, stirring up another enormous wave among the Heaven Dou delegation! They had expected the weapon to be quite powerful, but they had never imagined it would be this astonishing!
Its power already matched that of the strongest personal crossbow currently available on the Douluo Continent! The most powerful personal crossbow in use was the "Tiger Tooth" crossbow, invented by the Star Luo Empire. It required specially made bolts and could load up to five bolts side by side at once, firing either one or all five! Its power and range were about the same as the Sun Moon Empire's weapon!
The problem was that this weapon was extremely expensive to produce, costing as much as five hundred Gold Soul Coins apiece. The entire Star Luo Empire had only thirty thousand crossbowmen equipped with them! And both the manufacturing process and the finished products were kept under strict secrecy. Anyone caught trying to spy on them was killed without mercy!
Yet from what they could see, a weapon of this caliber was merely the most ordinary standard weapon in the Sun Moon Empire! Even its ordinary soldiers were equipped with it! It was impossible to imagine how powerful the weapons carried by the Sun Moon Empire's Soul Master soldiers must be!
At this, Ning Fengzhi eagerly asked, "Xiao Chen, would you be willing to demonstrate this weapon's power for us? It would certainly be an eye-opener."
Xue Qinghe and the others were just as eager, gazing at Xu Mochen. It was obvious that they would never be satisfied unless they saw the weapon's true power with their own eyes.
"Since I invited you all to see our country's Soul Guidance Weapons, of course I'll demonstrate their power. I just don't know how you'd like us to do it. Should we shoot at a haystack or a reef? After all, we can't actually shoot a person, can we? It would be a problem if someone were seriously injured or killed."
Xu Mochen certainly wasn't going to pass up such a fine opportunity to test the weapon. In fact, he had said this precisely to goad the Douluo Continent's experts into volunteering as targets. That way, while testing the weapon's performance, he could also assess the strength of the Soul Master experts on the Douluo Continent and how much damage the Sun Moon Empire's various Soul Guidance Weapons could inflict on them.
Sure enough, after Xu Mochen's subtle goading, Bone Douluo Gu Rong, who was standing beside Ning Fengzhi, could no longer sit still. He immediately said to Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe, "Your Highness, Sect Master, I'd like to test the power of the Sun Moon Empire's weapons. Would you permit it?"
Ning Fengzhi hesitated. But considering that Gu Rong was a level ninety-five defensive Titled Douluo, and that even though the Sun Moon Empire's ordinary Soul Guidance Weapons were powerful, it was unrealistic to think they could threaten an expert of his caliber, he realized this was also a good opportunity to get a more direct sense of their power. In the end, he could only sigh and say, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Gu. If you run into danger, please put your own safety first. Don't act recklessly."
Bone Douluo readily agreed. He then walked to the middle of an empty area more than five hundred meters away and shouted at Xu Mochen, looking every bit the imposing hero, "Come on! Have your men use everything they've got! I won't use a single Soul Skill! Your weapons alone can't hurt me!"
Hearing Bone Douluo's bold words, Xu Mochen secretly rejoiced, though he maintained a humble expression. "Since you're so generous, Senior, I'll have to trouble you!" He immediately ordered the soldier to aim at Bone Douluo and fire!
The soldier said nothing. He immediately raised his rifle, took aim, and fired! His movements flowed as smoothly as running water!
With a "bang!" and a puff of smoke from the muzzle, a rifle bullet spun through the air at tremendous speed, hurtling toward Gu Rong!
"Bring it on!" Gu Rong laughed heartily. The moment the soldier pulled the trigger, he released his Martial Soul. A low dragon's roar rang out as the phantom of a massive bone dragon appeared, assembled from a stark white skeleton with red lights burning in its eyes. At the same time, nine imposing Soul Rings appeared behind Gu Rong: two yellow, two purple, and five black. The next moment, the bullet struck him hard.
With a metallic "clang," Gu Rong's body swayed slightly before returning to its original position. Clearly, a weapon of this caliber couldn't realistically injure a level-ninety-five defensive Titled Douluo.
But Gu Rong wasn't pleased that he had blocked the bullet. Instead, a look of astonishment crossed his face. He immediately said to Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe in a grave voice, "Your Highness, Sect Master Ning, His Highness Xu Mochen hasn't exaggerated. Soul Masters below level forty would truly find it difficult to withstand this weapon's power."
The members of the Heaven Dou delegation began whispering among themselves again. Though Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi had expected as much, seeing it confirmed still left their emotions churning.
Xu Mochen, however, seemed unconcerned by their reactions. He continued, "Senior Gu, would you be willing to try another type of bullet made for this rifle, one specifically designed to deal with Soul Masters? It's a level more powerful than the ordinary bullet we just fired!"
Xu Mochen's words startled Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi, and the others all over again. They thought in unison: That thing is already terrifying when it fires those so-called ordinary bullets. If it can shoot something even more powerful, how are low- and mid-level Soul Masters supposed to survive?
Though Gu Rong was surprised by the claim, he still swept a hand through the air with bold confidence. "Use whatever you've got! I'll take it."
Xu Mochen inclined his head slightly, then ordered his subordinate to replace the ordinary bullet with a special armor-piercing round. At the next "bang!" everyone could clearly hear that the report as the bullet left the barrel was louder than before.
Then the special bullet slammed into Gu Rong. His expression changed in surprise as the impact actually forced him back a step!
The crowd was stunned once more. Bone Douluo closed his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
Then he slowly opened his eyes, unable to hide the astonishment in his voice. "This bullet is indeed a level more powerful than the last one! If the original bullet could reliably pierce the defenses of ordinary Soul Masters below level forty, this one can reliably pierce the defenses of Soul Masters below level fifty! And most Spirit Kings in the fifties probably couldn't be certain of stopping it completely!"
All right, the members of the Heaven Dou delegation were too stunned to be surprised anymore. They simply couldn't understand how such an inconspicuous "fire poker," paired with a "pellet" that looked no bigger than a finger, could unleash such astonishing power! Xu Mochen, however, remained much calmer. After all, he had expected this new armor-piercing round to be so powerful.
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