Chapter 4: Weapons and Currency
The gunfire gradually subsided, and the cries of the wounded could be heard.
Su Xiao, observing from the shadows, felt the time was right. The burly man Toby's faction had already beaten back the enemy refugees.
The refugees' fighting had no strategy whatsoever. After a round of wild shooting, they began chasing recklessly.
Rolling out from the house, Su Xiao landed steadily but immediately lowered his body.
What came into view was an endless stretch of garbage mountains. Green smoke rose from the trash heaps, and a stench of decay assaulted his nose.
Ignoring this, Su Xiao fixed his eyes on a gun lying on the ground in the distance. It was a short-barreled flintlock, somewhat worn, but still a lethal weapon.
The owner of the short-barreled flintlock was already dead, half his throat blown away by a stray bullet—a gruesome death.
Perhaps because the body was in a concealed spot, the burly man Toby's faction hadn't discovered the gun. Otherwise, in the weapon-scarce "Scrap Terminal," they would never have left this "Short-Barreled Flintlock" lying around.
Crouching low, Su Xiao began moving toward the gun.
But just then, a gaunt refugee rushed to the "Short-Barreled Flintlock," his grimy hand reaching for it.
Su Xiao frowned, not because the other had beaten him to it, but because he feared the man would attract the attention of the two factions.
Picking up a fist-sized rock, Su Xiao hurled it with all his strength.
The stone carried immense force, smashing hard into the refugee's arm.
"Thud."
The refugee stumbled, letting out a pained cry.
Su Xiao rushed behind him, shifted his body sideways, and drove his knee hard into the refugee's spine.
The refugee's body arched forward, and he spat out a mouthful of sour liquid. But even after such a heavy blow, the refugee only staggered forward two steps without falling.
Su Xiao's pupils contracted sharply. Just how strong were the humans in the One Piece world? This was only a refugee with the worst physical condition.
But there was no time to dwell on that. Su Xiao noticed the refugee's eyes had turned ferocious, like a provoked beast, his yellowed teeth clenched tight, jaw muscles bulging.
This savage expression would make an ordinary person instinctively step back, but Su Xiao was different. He had combat experience and knew that if he fled now, his exposed back would catch a bullet.
Clenching his fist, Su Xiao struck the refugee's jaw before he could recover.
The human jaw is rich in blood vessels. A sudden heavy blow can cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, leading to oxygen deprivation and short-term unconsciousness.
"Bang." A few bloody yellow teeth flew far away.
After taking Su Xiao's full-force punch, the refugee fell straight back like a toppling log.
An ordinary person hit on the jaw would be unconscious for dozens of seconds, but the natives of the One Piece world had mysteriously strong constitutions. So Su Xiao flipped the refugee over and aimed another punch at the back of his neck.
A dull thud sounded, and the refugee's fate was unknown.
Su Xiao grabbed the "Short-Barreled Flintlock" from the ground, and immediately a line of text appeared before him.
Before he could examine it, a large group of people ran over in the distance—Toby's faction returning from their failed pursuit.
A chill ran through Su Xiao. If he were discovered now, he might not even have a chance to speak before being shot full of holes. These people were all bloodthirsty.
Scanning left and right, Su Xiao's expression turned grim. His position was surrounded by towering garbage mountains forming a ring, blocking the surroundings.
Su Xiao dared not climb those unstable trash heaps. They could collapse at any moment, and who knew what was buried inside. If he were unlucky enough to be stabbed by something sharp, in this harsh environment, even if he didn't die from blood loss, infection would kill him.
So Su Xiao had no choice but to slip back into the dilapidated house. The girl named Mia was watching him with fear on her face.
This time, without Su Xiao's prompting, Mia spoke first.
"I won't talk."
Realizing she had already spoken, Mia quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes darting to the "Short-Barreled Flintlock" in Su Xiao's hand.
Soon after Su Xiao entered the house, noisy voices came from outside.
After a bout of angry cursing, the outside gradually quieted down. It seemed they had returned to scavenge supplies, but judging by the furious tone, their harvest was poor.
Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and began checking the prompt that had appeared.
[Obtained: Worn Flintlock (White)]
Worn Flintlock (White)
Origin: One Piece, Leopold Workshop
Durability: 6/30
Ammunition: 4/6 (Repeating flintlock is a unique technology of the One Piece world)
Attack Power: 2~13 (Calculated based on distance)
Equipment Requirement: 1 point of Strength to use, over 3 points of Strength for flexible use.
Rating: 3 (Note: White equipment ratings range from 1 to 10. A rating of 10 is marked 'Rare' and has special attributes.)
Description: This is a poorly maintained flintlock, causing its original rating of 9 to drop to 3. Use it with caution; the next shot might be its last, and your last.
Price: 150 Paradise Coins (This item is a chance-pickup item and cannot be taken out of the One Piece world).
……
[Hunter has obtained equipment for the first time. Beginning equipment tier introduction.]
[Equipment tiers: White, Green, Blue… Insufficient rank to access further information. Please explore on your own.]
[Hunter has encountered Paradise Coins for the first time. Beginning Paradise Coin explanation.]
[Paradise Coins can be used for transactions with Reincarnation Paradise or other contractors. This is the only universal currency of Reincarnation Paradise.]
[Warning: Use every Paradise Coin carefully, as they are your capital for survival or growth.]
……
Su Xiao nodded thoughtfully. It seemed Reincarnation Paradise had a strict system, not only detailing weapon performance but also a complete currency mechanism.
Though he knew many dangers lay ahead, Su Xiao felt a hint of anticipation, hoping Reincarnation Paradise could make him stronger.
He didn't yet know the method to grow stronger, but Reincarnation Paradise must have one, or he wouldn't be able to complete the increasingly difficult tasks ahead.
Carefully inspecting the [Worn Flintlock] in his hand, a smile appeared on Su Xiao's face.
Finally, he had a weapon. Without one in this dangerous world, he couldn't feel at ease.
But compared to firearms, Su Xiao preferred cold weapons, like a blade—a long, narrow, razor-sharp sword.
If his own blade were by his side, Su Xiao's combat power would increase by at least fifty percent.
He now had a basic understanding of the situation. The next step was to prepare for the task. The time limit was only seventy-two hours.
Su Xiao didn't want to find out what happened if he failed the task, so he had to devote himself fully to completing it.
But assassinating a country's king was no simple matter. He would need other methods, at least to get close to that king.
The idea of sneaking into the royal palace had never crossed Su Xiao's mind. In the One Piece world, there was something called Observation Haki.
According to Su Xiao's memory, this king was likely connected to the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons. It wasn't impossible that he had experts proficient in Observation Haki by his side.
Otherwise, with Su Xiao's assassination skills, a task to kill a king wouldn't be rated LV.3.
In the real world, full of surveillance equipment, Su Xiao had managed to carry out his revenge plan, let alone in the technologically backward One Piece world.
But it was too early to think about that now. The priority was to understand his location. Reincarnation Paradise didn't provide maps; everything had to be figured out on his own.
Su Xiao's gaze fell on the girl hiding in the corner. She lived in the "Scrap Terminal" and must know it well.
Sensing Su Xiao's gaze, the girl Mia curled up.
"What do you want?"
Her voice trembled, with a hint of tears. She had been hiding her gender because in the Scrap Terminal, being a woman was dangerous.
"Are you hungry?"
Su Xiao crouched in front of the girl, a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were cold.
He was not a kind person. Hatred had long erased the kindness in his heart.