Wasn't This Supposed to Be Delta Force? How Did It Turn into Arknights? Chapter 49

Lemuen's astonishing restraint finally eased her taut nerves somewhat. She even cast him a rare glance of approval—at least he was acting like a normal person now!

How could she know how heartbroken Han Fei was at that moment?

After all, there could be a character icon hidden beneath every manhole cover!

If he actually dug one up, Han Fei would take off immediately.

Since Han Fei had stopped rummaging through trash cans and lifting manhole covers along the way, they made much better time.

Before long, the Laterano Notarial Office came into Han Fei's view.

"Follow me."

Lemuen gestured for Han Fei to follow.

Han Fei did not hesitate. He brought Texas with him into the Notarial Office.

As expected, a foreigner carrying a long gun drew plenty of attention. The moment he stepped into the Notarial Office, Han Fei noticed countless eyes turning toward him.

Fortunately, Lemuen, a member of the Guard, was leading the way, so no unnecessary trouble arose.

The entire process was much faster than Han Fei had expected. He had thought there would be some complicated procedures, but after confirming that the long gun on his back was not made in Laterano, he quickly received the relevant documentation.

During that time, aside from their brief surprise, the Notarial Office staff did not deliberately make things difficult for Han Fei.

Everything went smoothly, and Han Fei's mood improved considerably. When he walked out of the Notarial Office, he was even smiling. "So with this thing, I can strut around Laterano's streets without a care, right?"

"Indeed."

Lemuen nodded slightly, then remembered everything that had happened earlier and could not help reminding him, "However, even when I'm not around, I sincerely ask you to spare the trash bins by the roadside."

"We'll talk about that when the time comes!"

Han Fei waved his hand, his perfunctory attitude practically spilling from between his fingers.

He definitely still had to check trash bins and manhole covers. Not check them? Was he supposed to live on thin air?

One look at him was enough for Lemuen to know that her words had probably gone in one ear and out the other. She could not help raising a hand to rub at her throbbing temple.

What a troublesome guy.

At this point, Lemuen could only look on the bright side. At least when she was around, she would not have to accompany Han Fei while he inspected those foul-smelling trash bins and manhole covers.

Thinking of that, Lemuen could not help glancing at Texas again.

Both were intruders, but this Lupo girl was far more reassuring than Han Fei.

"So, where are we going next?"

Han Fei stroked his chin as he considered their next route, his gaze drifting between Laterano's soaring spires and its maze-like streets.

But even after thinking for a long time, he could not come up with a suitable route.

He could not enter the core district, and residential areas could easily lead to misunderstandings—even if he did not take anything from the homeowners, in their eyes, what was the difference between an uninvited stranger snooping around and a thief?

Han Fei had no desire to invite such pointless trouble.

Noticing his expression, Texas asked, "No ideas?"

"Indeed."

Han Fei nodded. With the core district inaccessible and only the outer areas available to him, it seemed that for the time being, all he could do was rummage through trash cans and manhole covers.

Hearing that, Texas finally could not hold back. Even with an outsider beside them, she bluntly voiced the question that had been bothering her. "Boss, what exactly is our purpose in coming to Laterano?"

At those words, Lemuen perked up her little ears. She casually turned her gaze elsewhere, but her entire attention silently locked onto Han Fei like a fully drawn bowstring.

She wanted to know the answer too.

"Purpose? There is no purpose. We're here to scavenge and make money."

Han Fei cleared his throat and formally introduced the purpose of this trip to his department supervisor. "We look for valuable things no one wants. If we run into enemies, we beat them up. If there are no enemies, we keep looking for loot. Once we've picked up enough, we withdraw and head home."

Having finished his explanation, Han Fei spread his hands with a carefree flourish, a roguish smile curling across his lips.

"See? Clear and simple!"

"I see."

Texas was silent for several seconds before quietly uttering those words.

The look in her eyes as she watched Han Fei was complicated—the filter surrounding her boss, woven from his overwhelming strength, was beginning to crack faintly.

This was not the first time she had heard him call himself a "scavenger," but she had always assumed it was merely an excuse to conceal his identity.

After all, how could a man who could easily suppress a Beast Lord and emerge unscathed from Siracusa's elite truly have fallen so low that he had to survive by rummaging through trash bins?

Now it seemed she had overthought it.

Lemuen, standing nearby, also felt rather conflicted. A well-dressed, extraordinary Lupo girl, and a superbly equipped fighter with astonishing tactical skill... were they really in Laterano to pick through garbage?

Had scavenging become this competitive now?

Just then, a girl's voice came from nearby. "Lemuen, we're here."

Han Fei instinctively turned his head and saw a red-haired Liberi and a blue-haired Sankta walking over together.

"You're here."

Lemuen turned toward them, and the lines of her face immediately softened.

"We were delayed a little on the way."

Mostima casually kept one hand in her coat pocket. Her cyan eyes carried a hint of absent-minded scrutiny as they slowly swept over Han Fei and Texas. "Are these the 'uninvited guests' mentioned in your report?"

Han Fei was perfectly at ease. He gave the two unfamiliar faces a bright smile and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Han Fei. She's my companion, Texas."

Despite being labeled an intruder, Mostima showed no unusual attitude. A faint, almost imperceptible smile remained at the corner of her lips as she replied, "Hello. I'm Mostima, her teammate."

"Fiammetta. That's my name."

As Fiammetta spoke, her gaze fell on the M250 resting on Han Fei's shoulder. "Can you tell me where your gun came from?"

Han Fei shrugged regretfully. "Sorry, that's a trade secret."

Then he changed the subject. "But if you want to try it out, I can let you handle it, as long as you don't fire my ammunition."

Fiammetta finally lifted her gaze from the gun, her eyes holding a trace of surprise and pure technical interest. "Can I? Then... thank you."

Volume One: Panganini Gunsmith Workshop

Fiammetta took Han Fei's M250. The instant her finger touched the trigger, she keenly sensed that she could fire this gun.

As a child, Fiammetta had undergone a long period of training, all for the sake of being able to fire Laterano-made firearms.

But as a Liberi without the blessing of the Law, she naturally could not fire Laterano guns.

Left with no other choice, she abandoned Laterano firearms and switched to using a grenade crossbow.

Although Fiammetta seemed to have come to terms with it, the desire to use a gun as a weapon still lingered in some corner of her heart.

At least that way, she would look like she belonged in this city, like she belonged in this little group.

Sigh. In a four-person group, only one person used a grenade crossbow. Who could that be? Such a hard guess.

Fiammetta tried raising the M250 and assuming an aiming posture. "How powerful is it?"

Han Fei scratched his cheek. "Well... how should I describe that?"

In Delta Force, the M250 was an excellent weapon. It dealt heavy damage to both armor and flesh, and dropped people incredibly fast.

But in terms of raw power, it was still a gun. Its upper limit was right there, so it certainly could not compare to artillery shells.

Lemuen clearly noticed her friend's interest in the long gun and suggested, "I know a place where you can test-fire it."

Han Fei hurriedly said, "No, my bullets are expensive!"

He had only brought 250 rounds of Level 4 6.8 ammunition. Every single round was precious!

Hearing that, Fiammetta lowered the gun and looked at Han Fei. "I can compensate you. As a Guard member, my salary is fairly generous. You needn't worry that I can't afford it."

Lemuen understood Han Fei better than Fiammetta did. She knew that what Han Fei wanted was a currency called Haf Coins, so she added, "If you want something else, that can be negotiated too."

"Tch."

Han Fei pinched his chin and pondered for a moment before agreeing. "Fine, but you can't fire too much. I didn't bring many bullets."

"Alright."

Fiammetta returned the M250 to Han Fei. "I'll lead the way."

Han Fei took back the M250 and followed Fiammetta forward while opening his backpack to adjust the ammunition count.

Since he was doing a flesh-and-blood extraction run, Han Fei had not planned to conserve ammunition. The M250's drum magazine was loaded with a full seventy-five rounds of Level 4 ammunition.

But considering that Fiammetta wanted to try the gun, Han Fei had no choice but to adjust the count. After emptying the drum, he reloaded it with thirty rounds.

Thirty rounds were already the absolute limit. Any more, and Han Fei's heart would ache!

Laterano's urban area was far more expansive than they had imagined. The group passed through streets and alleyways without stopping, and by the time Fiammetta finally halted in front of a gunsmith workshop, quite some time had passed.

Without even stepping inside, one could smell the weight of time lingering around the shop. Its weathered stone facade carried a steady, ancient air, while the faded paint on its wooden window frames only made it seem more substantial.

And hanging high above the entrance, the enormous signboard worn by wind and weather stood like a silent witness, wordlessly declaring its name—Panganini Gunsmith Workshop.

Lemuen pushed open the door, and the group entered.

The moment Han Fei stepped inside, his gaze was seized by the sight behind the counter—a large bird in a crisp suit and delicate gold-rimmed glasses.

More precisely, an elderly Liberi man with a dignified bird's head.

"Ah, so it's you all."

The elderly Liberi pushed up the glasses resting on his beak and looked through the lenses at the people entering through the door. "What brings you here so suddenly? Does your Guardian Gun need maintenance?"

"Master Panganini."

Lemuen walked to the counter and explained with a smile, "We would like to borrow your shooting range. Is that alright?"

"Oh? The shooting range?"

Panganini understood at once, his broad beak seeming to curve into an understanding arc. "A small matter. Go ahead and use it."

"Thank you."

Lemuen thanked Panganini and was about to lead everyone over when Panganini suddenly noticed something was off.

"Hm? Young man over there, what's that gun you're carrying?"

Han Fei explained, "It's my weapon."

"Your weapon? But you're not a Sankta."

Panganini tilted his birdlike head slightly, confusion glinting in the reflection of his lenses.

Before his words had even faded, he seemed to recall something and came to a realization. "Oh, I have heard that a company in Columbia developed firearms that other races can fire as well."

As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling through his lenses onto the M250 on Han Fei's shoulder. Then the old Liberi frowned, sensing that something was wrong, and muttered to himself, "That's not right. I heard those were all very compact handguns, but yours is a real monster."

Panganini's curiosity grew stronger. He beckoned to Han Fei. "Young man, come here. I'd like to take a look at your gun."

Han Fei walked over to the counter. He had to admit that while this century-old shop looked decent from the outside, the inside was indeed rather messy. With just a casual glance, Han Fei saw feathers matching Panganini's coloration everywhere.

He had already let so many people examine the M250 that he did not mind letting the old Liberi in front of him see it too.

But just as he was about to agree, the box behind Panganini caught Han Fei's attention.

The box had a white searchable outline, and its appearance closely resembled the weapon crates in Delta Force.

The sight of that weapon crate immediately gave Han Fei a bold idea—this place looked searchable!

A gun-making workshop should have at least a few weapon crates and ammunition crates, right? If he could pull out some purple attachments or high-grade ammunition, that would be a massive profit!

With that thought in mind, Han Fei placed the M250 on the counter, covered it with one hand, and said, "Master Panganini, I can agree to let you look at this weapon, but in exchange, I have a small request."

Panganini pushed up his glasses. "Go on."

"It's my first time in Laterano, and I'm rather curious about gunsmith workshops." Han Fei explained, "Could you let me look around? Of course, I might open some boxes to look at the tools, but I can promise you I won't take anything."

As he spoke, Han Fei turned and pointed at the girls behind him. "They'll supervise my every move."

"Young man, don't go messing with my things. I'm old, and my memory isn't what it used to be." Panganini frowned slightly. "If you make a mess of them, I might not be able to find them."

"I'll only look. I won't take or touch anything," Han Fei said seriously.

The request was undeniably strange, so strange that Panganini hesitated. "You really won't mess with my things?"

Han Fei patted his chest, his face solemn. "I guarantee it. They can supervise me too."