Steel steam and flame

Shaco's thoughts became slow and chaotic. He thought about many possibilities and speculated on many things. Thoughts that had been squeezed in my head for several years emerged, each with a touching sense of memory.

When warm applause erupted from the surroundings and people in the lecture theater stood up one after another, Shako realized that the lecture had ended. She looked out the window. The street lights were filled with darkness, and night was coming.

She didn't know what was said in the important lecture she attended for the first time, but it wasn't important. She knew she had the qualifications and quota, but she didn't actually have much expectations. Come and take a look, as a brief relaxation during the study and research process, the lecture hall can only have this effect for her.

Walking into the crowd in the aisle, Shako hugged his notes and books tightly to his chest, with the same happy smile on his face as the people around him. From the lecture theater to the way back to the dormitory, she could hear the discussion of the lecture content. She could not understand it at all, and she was not in the mood to supplement the corresponding knowledge afterwards.

She knew that everyone seemed enthusiastic and guessed that the content should be uplifting and full of energy. But for her now, different things bring the same effect.

In the single dormitory in the school, Shaco closed the door as usual. She suppressed her curiosity about the letter and started her evening life according to the usual procedure after returning to the dormitory.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Shaco left the desk, made a cup of coffee, went to the window, and did a few simple stretching exercises to relieve the fatigue of his arms, neck and waist, and also waited for the coffee to become warm. Then she held the cup and stood in front of the window. While looking at the falling snowflakes in the light of the street lamp, she fell into a trance-like thinking with a calm face.

After finishing the coffee, she opened the window like a child, caught the snowflakes, and observed the crystal things that melted in the next moment under the light. When she closed the window and was about to go back to the desk to read the pile of history books, she seemed to have not played enough. She breathed into the window glass and first drew a simple version of the snowflake pattern, then erased it and drew a smiley face, and then drew a building block pattern. things.

Finally, as if there was nothing left for her to draw on the window, a few random graffiti appeared that seemed to have no meaning at all.

Stopping in front of the window and watching for a breath or two, but still dissatisfied in the end, Shako wiped it away and let big and small smiling faces appear on the window again. She herself made a reluctant, forced smile towards the window, and then returned to the desk to read the unfinished books.

,,,,,,

Xicia pulled a huge suitcase and stayed in another hotel.

She closed the door to the room, and the first thing she did was lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. The soft mattress relaxes the tired body, and the powerful air circulation system quickly warms the room.

"Will trading with these people become the norm in the future?" After taking a few deep breaths to soothe her body, Xicia gradually closed her eyes and recalled what happened in the afternoon.

"You need to do it yourself in the initial stage, and then you can hand it over to others. If you don't care about the price, it will become easier, and there will be no need to discuss the price in the afternoon." When Cassia answered, she thought of Sisia and the black market middlemen in the afternoon. After a loud war on price, I remembered that I am far less sensitive than Xixia when it comes to the amount of money. He has long gone through the period of pursuing money. In the past, Delia and Waters ran factories and arms business in the dark world, and money has long been reduced to a number.

But Sisia is still in the very beginning stages. Perhaps this is the first time I have actually come into contact with huge financial figures. While I am surprised and excited, my characteristic of not giving up any more benefits is also fully demonstrated.

Cassia originally thought that her first contact with the dark world trading network would be over soon, but Sisia completely disrupted her plan. When the other party is also a smart businessman, the price discussion between the two is more like a careful debate, and each has sufficient reasons to raise or lower the price. There is no trace of the controversial character of "step back" in either of them.

Thanks to the amount and completeness of theoretical knowledge, and the fact that Cassia, as an audience member, would give some information help from time to time, Sisia finally won the number she wanted in terms of price. The price is the current tiredness.

The overall mood was in the happy range. When Xicia opened her eyes, she thought of the over 40 million figures on the three bank cards on her body. Even though her body was tired, the corners of her mouth could not help but curl up a little.

The afternoon was spent discussing prices, and the time between evening and return was spent selecting products. When he left the Thorn Birds training ground, he only brought a standardized revolver and a varying number of steel-cased bombs, flash bombs, etc. The small country here is relatively close to the Far Sea United Nations, and the black market middlemen have a batch of spot products produced there for selection.

Cassia asked Sicia to change to a standard-caliber revolver. Except for the reinforced steel shell bombs purchased later, all tactical knives were replaced with standard products of the High Sea Republic. I asked about hand cannons with a caliber between twenty and thirty millimeters, and the answer was no.

"I saw several pieces two years ago. They have a 30mm caliber and can use acid platinum bullets. If equipped with advanced alloy warheads, most armored vehicles in neighboring countries and all self-produced bulletproof limousines will not be able to withstand it. Recently, it is completely There is no news of such weapons.”

"Those hand cannon-type firearms were also the work of a certain mechanic. But two years,..., probably three or four years ago, the mechanics who were often active in the dark world gradually became silent one by one. Recently, one by one Over the years, not to mention the work of mechanics, even the standard equipment of the three giant countries have become rare and snapped up."

When the black market agent said this, he waved his hands and sighed: "The war is coming. This news has become common knowledge recently. When everyone's desire to buy is high, the control suddenly becomes stricter, even in small countries. Facing pressure from the coordinating powers, several large arms dealers have also restrained themselves somewhat. Prices have increased, and the quantity of goods has also decreased. This is the current situation."

Cassia actually knew a lot of the information in the words of the black market merchants a few years ago. The information gap between countries is far greater than he imagined. There is almost a gap of three to four years - starting to recruit or integrate mechanics from the dark world in advance. The four forces in the empire are doing this, as are the Far Sea Commonwealth and the Flame Alliance. In wartime, weapons and equipment that are both stable and powerful and suitable for individuals will be the work of these people.

Cassia felt a little regretful after knowing that the hand cannon was hopeless. But after all, it is a weapon in the category of aircraft cannons, so the chances and quantity of it flowing into the dark world will definitely not be high. Compared with products such as pneumatic weapons, the demand for aircraft gun weapons is also very small, which is one of the main reasons why mechanics do not take the time to make them.

Being able to skillfully use weapons with a caliber of twenty to thirty millimeters, given the strength of the user, most of the time, there are actually not many opportunities for them to appear.

Before leaving here, Cassia asked Sicia to buy a heavy sniper rifle, which is also a standard product of the Far Sea Commonwealth. I put some thought into the ammunition, but when the middleman heard the common names of those ammunition, his face was filled with praise and helplessness - there was business and demand but he couldn't make it.

"A year or two ago, these things may still be available. Now..."

"Two years ago, I remember an arms dealer making similar products. Their ammunition and firearms were of very high quality and were loved by a large number of mercenaries and bounty hunters in the dark world. Judging from the manufacturing method, there was no The shadow of Shao Webley Arms Company should be a businessman from the Saint Dorag Empire. But about two years ago, this arms dealer disappeared."

"This arms dealer used to sell various special types of bullets, including sniper rifles."

In the end, she could only choose about a hundred high-quality bullets, and Xicia dragged her half-filled suitcase to the hotel again, looking happy and tired like she is now.

After resting for more than an hour, Sicia closed the curtains and, under Cassia's guidance, learned to disassemble and assemble sniper rifles, as well as various daily exercises of loading and changing magazines or throwing steel-cased bombs.