The Spear in Hand

A few days ago, the newspapers published information regarding the management of the river channels, stating that the municipal government intended to unify the planning of the docks. This news caused widespread panic, as everyone knew that once Puxi City decided to intervene in a business, that business would no longer be accessible to ordinary people.

Xu Yi walked along the pier until he reached an iron-hulled boat, where he saw two sailors playing cards.

After Xu Yi exchanged the secret code with them, he was granted passage, climbed the gangway to the deck, and entered the cabin.

At a single glance, he saw that under the dim, yellowish fluorescent light, the wooden shelves lining the cabin walls were packed with firearms.

From expensive handheld Mauser pistols to Hanyang Rifles retired from the battlefield, and even locally-made single-shot pistols, everything was available.

In the center of the cabin sat a thin man in a black suit, bathed in the light, wearing small round spectacles and flipping through a foreign-language book.

Another man, so thick-necked he appeared to have none, leaned against a cargo pillar nearby, waxing a rifle with a cloth.

Seeing Xu Yi enter, the man who was sitting stood up and greeted him:

"What kind of goods is the gentleman looking for?"

The lack of a secret code exchange indicated that this man was not a member of the underworld.

Xu Yi roughly understood that the guns in this cabin were likely "small goods" smuggled from Stinky Harbor or perhaps from the West.

Since the other party was not a member of the brotherhood, Xu Yi did not offer a traditional martial arts salute, but simply said:

"I want a pistol."

The man in the black suit adjusted his glasses, walked to a side shelf, and picked up a palm-sized black pistol:

"Browning 1900, Gun Brand Pistol, holds seven 7.65x17mm rounds, with an effective range of 30 meters."

Xu Yi was silent for a moment, then slowly asked:

"Gun Brand Pistol? What is that?"

The man in the black suit smiled and pointed to the small pistol-shaped logo on the side of the weapon:

"The Gun Brand!"

He then gently pulled back the slide, and with a dull, soft click, the gun was chambered:

"Semi-automatic! You only need to pull it once to chamber a round; it's very simple!"

Every industry has its own jargon; it was only logical.

Xu Yi asked:

"How much for this gun?"

The man in the black suit replied:

"The gun is 30 silver dollars, and the ammunition is 2 silver dollars per box of 50 rounds."

That meant each round cost 6 copper coins.

In other words, a single bullet was worth more than a bowl of mutton soup with extra meat!

Xu Yi clicked his tongue softly.

Although it was expensive, he could afford it!

However, if he bought it, he would essentially be penniless.

He looked at the other guns on the rack:

"Do you have anything else to recommend?"

Although the man in the black suit was not a gangster, he recognized Xu Yi's obvious gang affiliation and knew he was a potential big client, so his tone became even more enthusiastic:

"Of course."

He walked to a rack and picked up a small black pistol with a thin barrel:

"Unicorn Ox, a locally-made pistol, 1 silver dollar each, single-shot. Don't let its ugly appearance fool you; its power is no less than other pistols!

Of course, reloading is a hassle, and it's quite loud—the moment you pull the trigger, everyone on the street will know.

The Unicorn Ox's ammunition is cheap, too: 50 copper coins for a box of 50."

He added:

"If you buy in bulk, I can offer a discount!"

Xu Yi felt a bit tempted.

Could he buy a batch to arm his security team?

The man in the black suit put the Unicorn Ox back on the rack and walked quickly to another, picking up a half-meter-long rifle:

"Hanyang Rifle. This model doesn't come with a bayonet. It uses 7.92x57mm rifle cartridges and holds 5 rounds. As long as you can aim, the maximum range is 2,000 meters!"

Xu Yi knew nothing about firearms, but he felt the man was blowing smoke.

A range of two kilometers was simply too unbelievable.

The man in the black suit smiled and said:

"Don't let the fact that it's a rifle fool you; it's actually cheap. 30 silver dollars each, with a discount for bulk orders!"

Xu Yi pointed at the Browning 1900 he had just seen—commonly known as the Gun Brand Pistol—and said with some disbelief:

"The same price as this pistol?"

The rifle and the pistol differed so much in size, yet they cost the same?

The man in the black suit patiently explained:

"The Gun Brand Pistol is an imported item from Gaul. Getting it into Puxi is a hassle, and there are no second-hand ones on the market. The quality is top-tier, so naturally, it's a bit pricier."

"As for the ammunition, these are original rounds for the Hanyang Rifle, 24 copper coins per shot."

That was four times more expensive than the ammunition for the Gun Brand Pistol... for the Browning M1900.

Xu Yi could accept that rifle ammunition was more expensive than pistol ammunition.

The man in the black suit added:

"However, if you can accept second-hand or reloaded ammunition, it's cheaper—

Only 12 copper coins per shot."

He emphasized:

"Large quantities come with a discount!"

Xu Yi quickly weighed his options and said:

"I want one Browning M1990 and one box of ammunition.

Two Unicorn Ox pistols and two boxes of ammunition."

This set cost him a total of 34 silver dollars and 100 copper coins.

To show his sincerity in doing business, the man in the black suit even threw in a fitted ammunition pouch.

The pouch was machine-woven from black nylon fabric; the quality was rock-solid, and it looked exactly like the waist bags sold by street vendors.

Worn on the waist, the pouch was hidden behind his back and completely covered by his loose Tang suit. It could hold nearly 50 rounds, and even when full, it was impossible to tell from the outside of his clothes.

This was a small transaction, but the man in the black suit did not neglect his customer because of it.

It wasn't just because he was still in the startup phase and serving small-time figures.

It was also because he believed all businesses started small; if the customer knew the quality of his goods, they would naturally seek him out again if they had needs.

The man in the black suit escorted Xu Yi to the deck and watched him leave.

Xu Yi took the guns, returned to Lingtong Hall, handed one of the Unicorn Ox pistols to Jin Baogen, and gave him one box of ammunition.

"It's unlikely anyone will come to cause trouble under normal circumstances."

Xu Yi instructed Jin Baogen:

"If someone does come to make trouble, if the brothers can handle it, go ahead and fight. You can use clubs, but don't use knives.

Remember, no matter the conflict, once blood is spilled, the situation becomes difficult to manage."

Jin Baogen nodded excitedly.

Xu Yi continued:

"If the brothers can't handle it, then you reveal the guns.

Generally speaking, once a gun is revealed, the matter is over.

People on the streets are wicked, not stupid; no one dares to throw themselves into the muzzle of a gun."

"Even if you reveal the gun, try your best not to fire it if you can avoid it.

You can use the gun to threaten the troublemakers and make them scram.

Under normal circumstances, as long as they aren't idiots, anyone with a gun pointed at their forehead will back down."

Jin Baogen asked:

"And what if the other side really sends an idiot to make trouble?"

Xu Yi replied:

"He may be stupid, but you aren't. I believe you'll find a way to make an idiot scram."

Jin Baogen grinned.

He was just joking with his big brother, and it was clear his brother understood that.

Xu Yi still felt uneasy.

He had never been a boss before and hadn't yet found the right way to interact with his subordinates, which was why he was so hands-on and constantly worried:

"According to the rules of the streets, as long as no shots are fired, it's just a private matter between gangs... a matter that can be resolved privately among the people.

Once a shot is fired, the Constabulary will definitely come, and then things will get troublesome.

Getting arrested is a small matter; I can bail you out.

But if you get fired from the factory because of this, that would be a huge loss."