Although Wang Zhen had decided to use Remington 1875 revolvers, he still needed to modify them. A pistol made of ordinary materials was more than enough against people, but against armored targets like the ones he faced now, its power would drop sharply. And if the target was some kind of inhuman monster, this pistol would be little more than a toy!
In fact, this was the awkward position firearms found themselves in. They were powerful, but also subject to considerable limitations. Once an enemy had the right countermeasures, their effectiveness plummeted!
Wang Zhen had rarely used firearms before because of his age and build. How could an innocent, adorable little kid pull a pistol out of his back pocket?
Even if he liked guns, that wouldn't do!
So Wang Zhen had practiced shooting, but only practiced. At least he wouldn't find himself unable to fire a gun.
Of course, it was perfectly normal for a guy to like guns.
Wang Zhen asked Selene to modify two revolvers in the style of the Remington 1875, and to make a pair of handsome holsters and a belt.
He had only one condition: they had to be cool!
"Selene, the guns need to be sturdy enough... Let's make them as tough as autocannons," Wang Zhen said casually.
"Master, you should really consider using a Bolter as a reference—the kind of powerful gun from Warhammer 40K. Its prototype was the GyroJet series of rocket guns manufactured by the American company MB Associates in the 1960s."
"The special thing about them is the variety of unique ammunition, which would suit the revolvers you gave me better. And since you're skilled in Alchemy, we can make the rounds a little smaller without reducing their power. That way, the barrels won't have to be thicker, which would distort the gun's shape and make it uncomfortable to use." After hearing Wang Zhen's suggestion, Selene thought it over briefly and laid out her plan.
Wang Zhen knew all about the famous Bolter from the Warhammer World, also known as a Boltgun. It was a fictional weapon from a game world. Its main feature was that it looked like someone had combined a gun with an infantry anti-tank rocket launcher. The anti-tank rockets were miniaturized, loaded into a magazine, and fired from an enormous, thick-barreled gun!
The gun itself was nothing special, much like an infantry anti-tank rocket launcher. Its body was merely a disposable carrier. The real heart of it was the specially designed miniature armor-piercing rockets, made for all kinds of situations!
Using this gun as a model to modify the Remington 1875 was a good fit for me. After all, I was an Alchemist, and I could make all sorts of specialized modifications with Alchemy.
A few hours later, Selene brought Wang Zhen two considerably enlarged Remington 1875 revolvers, along with bullets in several different colors, for him to test.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."
With their increased caliber, the two revolvers had naturally grown quite a bit. They were about the same size as a Smith & Wesson M-500, and the bullets came in three colors: yellow, red, and gray.
"I modified them to the dimensions of a Smith & Wesson M-500. A 12.7-millimeter caliber is the limit for a handgun. Any larger, and the entire gun would grow proportionally, making it unsuitable for combat."
"I made the bullets to the dimensions of 12.7×41-millimeter Magnum rounds, the same size as the ammunition used by the Smith & Wesson M-500."
"Unfortunately, our propellant isn't good enough to make micro-rockets this small. So these rounds are only a little stronger than ordinary .50 Magnum ammunition. They raise the muzzle velocity from 602 meters per second to 900 meters per second, and the muzzle energy from 4,109 joules to 17,000 joules!"
Selene had given him the specific figures, which sounded more impressive than the names of the guns, but Wang Zhen understood. What Selene was really describing were the famous Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel sniper rifle's specifications!
By giving him such precise figures, Selene was telling Wang Zhen that although she hadn't managed to make a Bolter, it was because their propellant wasn't powerful enough. All she could do was make these 12.7×99-millimeter Browning machine-gun rounds (.50 BMG). That meant these two oversized Remington 1875s were basically two Barrett M82A1 anti-materiel sniper rifles shrunk down to handgun size!
That was utterly insane!
Even if the other side had a Level 6 bulletproof plate, one level above a US-standard Level 5 plate, it still wouldn't be able to stop him once Wang Zhen raised these two guns!
Caliber is justice!
Truth lies only within the range of cannons, and dignity only at the tip of a sword!
Wang Zhen hefted the two guns in his hands. They felt great!
He also knew that despite Selene's modifications, these guns had nothing to do with cannons in either caliber or power. They couldn't even compare to light artillery or autocannons.
But Wang Zhen was confident that with the Transmutation Circle's help, the power of these revolvers would soon catch up to—and surpass—a 155-millimeter artillery gun!
Wang Zhen was so confident for two reasons. First, he had used the Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle in the Dead River to create dozens of Ouroboros Eyes. Second, he had reaped the Gate of Truth's knowledge dozens of times, gaining a vast trove of knowledge.
The Gate of Truth had now left a clone in Wang Zhen's mental space, so it could respond to his sacrificial rituals at any time.
That was right!
Because Wang Zhen was so relentlessly hungry for knowledge, the Gate of Truth had withdrawn its lowest-level projection but left behind one of its own clones!
That showed just how much the Gate of Truth valued Wang Zhen!
Especially after Wang Zhen used a Human Transmutation Circle to exchange a body containing Alucard's blood with the Gate of Truth, directly giving it access to the Alchemy knowledge of another world. For Alchemy's ultimate mythical form, increasing its power meant constantly devouring knowledge, filling in its own deficiencies, and making itself more complete. And Alucard's blood, which Wang Zhen had provided, happened to let the Gate of Truth do just that!
These two Remington 1875 revolvers still hadn't reached the level of a Bolter, but their power had already increased dramatically. Even so, Selene wasn't satisfied. She left the two prototypes and the bullets with Wang Zhen, then went back to work.
"Selene, could you change your look? I've seen this one for so long that I'm getting tired of it," Wang Zhen asked earnestly.
"Is that really necessary?" Selene asked, looking perplexed.
As someone who had only recently gained self-awareness, she still retained many traits of an artificial intelligence. She was meticulous about plans and procedures.
Since she hadn't managed to make the Remington 1875 as powerful as a Bolter, she considered it a failure. Right now, she'd much rather return to her research!
"It is! A change of person is like a change of blade. If you change your look, it'll be like becoming a different person. Maybe... a new look will help you solve some of those problems. You never know."
"I've decided. From now on, she'll change her look for every story world!" Wang Zhen said to himself with a smile as he watched Selene turn and walk away, neither agreeing nor objecting.
"Like this... everyone... should... be satisfied, right?"
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