Chapter 8: Firearm Skin "Tao Wood

The panel was very simple, with just one sentence.

"You have a very large space."

That's right, there were no quests, nor were there any gift packs.

There was only this somewhat crude line of text.

When Chen Miao tentatively sank his consciousness into the Jade Amulet of Safety in his arms, his mind instantly encountered an expansive space, enveloped in mist all around, with a stone pillar in the center that seemed to emanate the aura of the Bronze Age.

As his consciousness touched the pillar, a panel popped up before him.

"Your Nothingness Space is currently level 1, with dimensions of five meters in length, width, and height."

"To upgrade to the next level, you need 2000 Star Coins."

"Upon successful upgrade, you will be rewarded with a Gunman-specific Firearm Skin 'Tao Wood' and production lines for two calibers of ammunition."

This 5x5x5 cubic meter space was significantly helpful for someone with the Gunman Profession, as it meant he could store a large amount of ammo here.

Theoretically, a Supernatural gunner would indeed be no better than one wielding a fire stick if they ran out of ammo.

But if the enemies all fell before the ammo ran out, then such a situation would not arise.

And a space of five meters in length, width, and height was enough for him to stockpile an ample amount of ammo.

As for the Firearm Skin 'Tao Wood' rewarded after the upgrade of the Nothingness Space...

It made Chen Miao even more interested.

In the past records of the "Divine Oddity Scripture·Western Wasteland Scripture," it was written: "There is a beast in the Western Wastelands that resembles a tiger but is larger, with hair two feet long, a human face and tiger feet, protruding teeth, and a tail that is eighteen feet long, wreaking havoc in the vastness and known as Chun Ji."

It gradually came to be called Tao Wood by the people.

It was fierce and brutally stubborn.

A firearm skin named after such a creature had a good chance of greatly enhancing the weapon, and it certainly couldn't just be an improvement in appearance, right?

Moreover, this Nothingness Space seemed tailored for the Gunman Profession, whether it was the ample space or the firearm skin rewarded upon upgrade, it perfectly matched the profession.

Especially the production lines for manufacturing ammunition.

Of course, it was also possible that if he had chosen the Fighter Profession at that time, this item might have become something specific for fighters.

But now was not the time for too much research.

Chen Miao's expression remained the same as before, and after making brief small talk with the shop owner, he waved goodbye and left.

...

Soon after.

Chen Miao, along with Hungry Monkey, returned to the cemetery on the outskirts just beyond the city. Although it was a bit eerie, the robust yang energy from the presence of two grown men made it bearable, not to mention that mid-November in Fengtian City wasn't exactly warm.

Especially as it had been cooling down rather quickly recently.

If it weren't for running into Hungry Monkey after crossing over, finding a place to stay for the past few days would have been a headache, let alone completing the clinic operation without him, since he had nothing to collect payment with.

It wasn't that he couldn't afford the watch, but that buying it would be useless as he couldn't use it.

He currently had what amounted to an Unregistered Residence, and couldn't register for federal citizen information; even if he bought a watch, he couldn't register it.

In fact, there weren't a few pure unregistered residents in the federation, as there had been many changes in society over the years, with many people wandering from birth. It was not unusual to be unregistered, but completing the entire process normally took at least a year or so.

Or if you had connections, it could be done in a week.

Besides, there was an even quicker way, which was to commit a crime, get arrested, and go to prison. Sentencing required ensuring the other party's federal citizen identity, and all the processes would be completed on the same day, even faster than if you had connections. But he couldn't just go to prison for a while over such a matter; that would be rather unnecessary.

"Phew!"

Chen Miao took a deep breath, took out several materials from the paper bag, laid them on the ground, and looked at his profession panel. After confirming the crafting option with his mind, the materials on the ground slowly moved towards each other and began to merge.

And they emitted plumes of white smoke like the burning of white phosphorus.

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It was somewhat eye-watering.

Seconds later, as the white smoke cleared, a brand new revolver appeared on the ground, surrounded by a pile of bullets.

The revolver was a good hand and a half length of his, entirely silver-gray, exuding a low-key sense of mystery with its classic design.

Upon touching it, a semi-transparent panel popped up in front of him.

-

"Weapon Name": Python R6 Revolver

"Weapon Grade": F grade.

"Restrictions": For use by Gunman Profession and those within the Supernatural Occupation promotion route series only.

"Weapon Details": Damage Energy Coefficient ranges from 3-10, depending on the point of impact, maximum chamber capacity of 6 rounds, no magazine, requires manual reloading.

"Weapon Introduction": Firing rate dependent on hand speed.

-

Chen Miao picked up the revolver off the ground, fiddling with it in his hands, feeling a surge of excitement, although the weapon's panel seemed a bit rudimentary, reminiscent of the wooden sword that virtual game players would receive at the start of a game.

It represented more of a symbolic significance for novices than a practical one.

But it was enough to thrill him.

After all, this was his very first firearm. In his past life, he had handled guns, but only a few times at a firing range; none were his own. This revolver, however, was entirely his—a completely different feeling.

Thirty bullets were included on the side.

Touching the bullets similarly prompted a simple panel to appear, informing him that the ammunition caliber for the weapon was 9mm, and 30 rounds could be bought for 10 Star Coins.

Star Coins could mainly be acquired from the Secret Realm or major events, and right now, he didn't have a single one in his pocket.

"Wait here for me," he said.

After speaking, Chen Miao tucked the revolver into his bosom and stuffed the 30 remaining bullets into the Nothingness Space. He turned to glance at the Hungry Monkey and then pushed open the crude door of the tomb chamber, striding out.

"I'm heading to the Secret Realm. If I come out alive, I'll look for you here."

"Uh..."

The Hungry Monkey hesitated for a moment before catching up, "Maybe you could take me with you?"

"You? Have you ever been to a Secret Realm?"

"Never, but I'm strong. I should be able to help. I've heard that the Secret Realm is fraught with dangers. Miao, relying solely on that handgun might not be sufficient. Having one more person could at least buy you time to reload."

"..."

Chen Miao frowned and, after a moment of contemplation, nodded, "Let's go, keep up."

He didn't actually want to take the Hungry Monkey.

No matter how you cut it, he belonged to the Supernatural Occupation, while Hungry Monkey was just a physical laborer under the Lifestyle Occupation. Venturing into the Secret Realm would be considerably dangerous, but Hungry Monkey had a point, and Chen Miao had witnessed his strength.

A hundred-pound bag of sugar, and Hungry Monkey could shoulder three without much struggle.

That was already much stronger than an average person.

It was curious how such a slender body could possess so much strength. Could it be true that eating more increased one's strength?

...

"Huff!"

One hour later, Chen Miao stood calmly in front of a white swirling vortex hovering above the ground on the outskirts of the area.

Silently, without speaking.

This was the entrance to the Secret Realm. Stepping through would transport him to a brand new and unfamiliar world.

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