16. Testing the Gun

“If you’re planning to search for the leader, perhaps we could join you,” said Zhang Wei, also known as Split-Head Brother.

It was a sensible idea—following NPCs was far less risky than venturing out alone like other players.

Ram cast them a glance and said, “We do have a squad heading out to find the leader. She disappeared somewhere near the factory ruins. If you’re confident you can participate, I won’t stop you.”

She lifted the door curtain. “Follow me. The Arms Guild will distribute the remaining firearms to you. They’re defective goods, but...” She glanced at Li Nuo’s folding stool beneath him and the iron rod in his hand. “Still better than using household items as weapons.”

But that folding stool could explode... Li Nuo wanted to retort, yet held back.

Everyone else left, leaving only Li Nuo and Doraemon behind.

“Have we met before?” he asked.

“Hmph...” Marje...

“Do you two know each other?” asked Chen Shou, the stout guy, as he lifted the curtain and looked back.

“Ah, maybe,” Li Nuo replied.

As they stepped outside, Marje whispered, “You’re a bit strange.”

Although they had collaborated only once before, some people naturally exuded a tacit understanding as if soaked in formalin...

Marje meant that during the newcomer selection, Li Nuo had dominated the conversation from the start, controlling the situation, but this time, he’d barely said a word.

“They’re not wrong, and it’s not dangerous now, so there’s no need to argue. If I can lie back and reap benefits by following the big brother, I’m all for it,” Li Nuo paused, then continued, “But some things are better handled after gathering a bit more intel.”

Marje looked at the perfectly proportioned female androids in the resistance camp and smirked. “Hmph, gathering intel... this is my moment to show off my manly charm.”

Li Nuo immediately stopped him. “Ah, no, forget it... just behave yourself for now, okay...”

As they spoke, they arrived at the weapons supply point.

Calling it a supply point was generous; it resembled more of a roadside gun vendor’s stall.

The resistance camp had fewer than thirty members, and their weapons were all spares—hardly any good quality.

A Glock G17 replica pistol, capable of holding seventeen 9mm rounds.

[Resistance-issue pistol (defective)]

[Quality: Common]

[Requirements: Strength 3, Constitution 3]

[Description: Never load more than one bullet for a first-time shooter; you never know where the second shot will go.]

Is that so?

Curious about the description, Li Nuo chambered a round, raised the gun toward an empty area in the distance, aimed at a tree trunk, licked his lips, and muttered, “Hold the gun with both hands, align your sight with the barrel, steady aim on a three-point line...”

Bang!

His forearm tingled; the bullet veered off course.

The shot didn’t matter much to the resistance, but it startled other players—except Marje.

“Brother... why the rush?” asked Old Guan, the crew cut guy.

Li Nuo shook his head. “Well...”

Strength can help control recoil but can’t compensate for accuracy or experience.

He looked down at the pistol, then raised it to reflect sunlight.

“The hand shakes a lot when firing. Even in extreme calm, my shots scatter badly. At twenty meters—no, around ten meters—it’s nearly impossible to aim within five to ten seconds. If you force a second shot under such conditions, you might hit a bird by luck, or worse...” He flicked the gun. “A jam, and you knock yourself out.”

“But still, a gun is better than no gun,” Zhang Wei said.

“Theoretically, yes,” Li Nuo nodded. “But first, you have to hit your target, and second, your opponent should preferably be flesh and blood.”

Xiao You stared wide-eyed at Old Guan and Zhang Wei, puzzled. “I don’t understand what this brother means.”

Old Guan quickly explained, “Most enemies in Neilri are robots. Bullets don’t always work well against them.”

Xiao You said, “If you can’t aim well, why not unlock the [Long-Range Sniping] skill?”

Zhang Wei scratched his head. “I’ve already unlocked [Close Combat]... [Long-Range Sniping] costs extra gold coins.”

“That’s not a big deal,” Li Nuo shrugged indifferently. “Considering psychological factors, even if you unlock [Long-Range Sniping], it might not help at critical moments.”

“So what do we do against those robots?” Old Guan asked.

“Find their weak spots,” Li Nuo said, putting the gun into a newly acquired holster. Pointing to his eyes, he added, “Shoot them in the eyes at close range, or just stab a stick into their eyeballs. It’s not necessarily difficult—keep circling, use cover, get behind them, then jam the stick into their eyes.”

They listened with growing unease.

“In short, whether to specialize depends on practice. At least the effectiveness of bullets in this world remains to be tested,” Li Nuo said, then turned to the two androids conversing nearby.

He asked for a map and began inquiring about recent developments.

A male resistance member said, “We’ve lost contact with the bunker. All signals vanished. The search team reported encountering unknown anomalies there...”

“Any other leads?” Li Nuo asked, casually picking up a worn notebook and a charcoal pencil from the table to jot down information.

“No more.”

At that moment, a female resistance fighter carrying a box approached. “The Jiya troops deployed for combat have disappeared.”

“Where did you hear that?” Marje asked.

The woman thought for a moment, raising an eyebrow. “Before the leader left, she said that after yesterday’s explosion, some Jiya troops went missing.”

That was a significant revelation.

To clarify:

The Jiya troops are androids who have established self-sufficient combat bases on Earth’s surface.

Their command headquarters is called the Bunker.

The Bunker is located in Earth’s orbit, used to send commands to Jiya members and deliver weapons.

So...

What caused the loss of signal?

How did androids from the Jiya troops go missing?

Li Nuo felt the plot was starting to slip out of control—he still vividly remembered the bizarre script of the newcomer selection.

He had the resistance mark possible crash-landing zones for the Jiya troops on the map, then asked about the surrounding environment before beginning to explore the camp.

Soon, a squad willing to bring players along was ready to depart.

Standing next to a battered three-wheeler, Li Nuo heard someone call him but shook his head to decline.

Zhang Wei was puzzled. “Why? This place is huge. Searching alone is like finding a needle in a haystack. Isn’t it safer to follow the main force?”

Li Nuo said, “Wei, listen to me.”

Zhang Wei immediately interrupted, “Just call me Zhang Wei...”

“Every event in a mission, no matter how trivial, should have significance. Take the disappearance of the Jiya troops, the sudden large explosion, and the mass android comas—as a whole, they tell a story,” Li Nuo said, spreading out the map and pointing at the area where the Jiya troops vanished. “There’s a hidden element within that zone.”

He pointed to the marker labeled “Factory Ruins.” “It takes about fifteen minutes on foot from here to the hidden spot. If the reward there is worth it, then from that spot to the factory is another 40 minutes to an hour. The mission time limit is three hours. Round trip, it’s feasible. What remains is what obstacles lie on the way.”

Zhang Wei said, “Friend! You’re being too casual. You can’t just judge distance by looking at a map.”

Li Nuo: “That’s why I asked.”

Zhang Wei: “Uh...”

Li Nuo looked at the fully armed resistance members and scratched his chin. “There’s another possibility. The main mission’s leader might not be at the factory at all, but in the area where the Jiya troops disappeared. Though that’s less likely.”

Old Guan said, “...You’re making it more confusing the more you talk.”

Li Nuo said, “Mission rewards are distributed by contribution. We don’t have to send everyone to one place. And if there really is a hidden element, its rewards will be better.”

Then he scanned the transformed eyes around him.

“I want to search for the hidden stuff. Anyone interested?”

If it weren’t for a resistance member nearby testing a gun, the atmosphere might have remained silent.

Finally, Zhang Wei was the first to speak. “Brother... how many official storyline missions have you completed?”

Li Nuo said, “None. Or rather, this is my first.”

Not just Zhang Wei, but Old Guan and Xiao You all looked at Li Nuo oddly, as if he were a strange creature.

Everyone’s newcomer missions differed, but normally, the highest reward was reaching level six. Real mode missions didn’t grant experience points. Having never done a mission, how could he be above level eight?

Usually, someone would question this, and Li Nuo would explain, but no one would believe him.

So the conclusion was:

“I’m going with the resistance.”

“Me too.”

“Hmm...”

Zhang Wei, Old Guan, and Xiao You followed the resistance out.

Compared to a player wielding a folding stool as a weapon, the resistance seemed much safer.

It made sense.

Since there were so many people, the main force would walk to the factory. Watching their departing backs, Li Nuo turned to a resistance member filling out records nearby.

“Can I borrow a vehicle?”

“Oh, there’s a side-mounted three-wheeled motorcycle that was just repaired. Is that okay?”

“That three-wheeler? Sure.”