Chapter 143: The Hand Cannon and the Ninth-Degree Martial Artist

Chapter 143: The Hand Cannon and the Ninth-Degree Martial Artist

Ling Yufeng looked at the weapon that Ji Xinghuo was pointing at.

It was a Gauss pistol, but its size was half larger than that of an ordinary pistol.

The gun's body was nearly 40 centimeters long, and its shape was bulky and crude. Its silver-gray surface was engraved with dark red patterns, giving it a blood-stained, rusted appearance.

The main structure of the gun was a revolver design, with an oversized cylinder. The most striking feature, however, was its barrel. On the top and bottom of the barrel were square structures housing the coil accelerator groups, making the grip even larger and thicker than that of a regular pistol, giving the whole gun a top-heavy feeling.

"The Emperor's Hammer!" exclaimed Ling Yufeng in surprise. "Why did you choose this gun?"

"Because I like it," replied Ji Xinghuo.

He picked up the unique pistol, feeling its weight. It was exceptionally heavy for a pistol, weighing over 10 kilograms—heavier than most electromagnetic rifles.

Despite its weight, the gun felt good in his hand—solid and sturdy, like holding a hammer.

But its killing power was infinitely more terrifying than any hammer!

The "Hammer" was manufactured by a military company in the New Roman Empire. Its design principle was similar to other Gauss pistols, but the "Hammer" utilized coil accelerator groups that were three times larger. This resulted in bullets being fired at faster speeds and with greater force.

However, this enhancement came with several drawbacks. The gun was extremely heavy and long, and the recoil was several times stronger than that of a regular Gauss pistol, making it difficult to control and severely reducing its accuracy.

Additionally, the "Hammer" used specially designed high-explosive rounds. The ferromagnetic metal bullets were filled with high-explosive gunpowder. Upon hitting the target, they would instantly detonate, causing massive damage.

The volume of these high-explosive rounds was significantly larger than that of ordinary metal bullets, so the gun had to use a revolver design, limiting it to only six bullets per load. In comparison, other Gauss pistols could hold hundreds of bullets—a difference of dozens of times.

The "Hammer" was cumbersome, difficult to use, had low accuracy, short range, slow rate of fire, small bullet capacity, slow reloading, and many other shortcomings. In short, it had numerous disadvantages.

However, all these drawbacks were overshadowed by one advantage—its unparalleled power!

Most non-legendary mutants would end up with a blown-up head from a single shot, and even legendary powerhouses would find it hard to withstand the force of the "Hammer."

The might of the "Hammer" surpassed that of most commonly used firearms and could even rival a plasma gun.

It was often referred to as the "Hand Cannon."

The name "Hammer," however, originated from the founding emperor of the New Roman Empire—the "Iron Emperor," Ivan Zhugashvili.

This peerless powerhouse, ranked second on the Heavenly King List, was famously known for his image as a burly warrior wielding a war hammer. His weapon, known as the "Hammer," was actually a two-star apocalyptic weapon with astonishing power, counted among the few godly weapons in the world.

The designer of the "Emperor's Hammer" pistol drew inspiration from this very war hammer, hence the name.

Ji Xinghuo had already taken a liking to the "Hammer" from his test firing earlier.

Its shortcomings were negligible to him, while its advantages seemed tailor-made for him!

He raised the gun, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

A thunderous roar reverberated through the shooting range, and the alloy target a hundred meters away violently shook. The bullseye erupted in a blinding white flash, instantly leaving a pitch-black crater surrounded by traces of high-temperature melting. The area looked like it had been bombarded, with pits and scorch marks everywhere.

The massive recoil caused the gun muzzle to jump, sending a strong impact through Ji Xinghuo's wrist.

This kind of recoil wasn't something that could be countered purely by strength. It required ingenious and skillful unloading techniques to control the direction of the gun and fire the next shot as quickly as possible.

Ji Xinghuo steadied the "Hammer" with a firm grip.

The muzzle, which had only risen slightly, quickly returned to its original position.

With his fourth-level Thousand Dexterity Hands, he was able to microscopically control and neutralize more than 90% of the recoil.

The loud report of the gun caused a slight stinging sensation in his eardrums.

Such a high volume of sound couldn't be completely absorbed by the "silence" ability of the stealth ring. Firing even a single shot would give away his position.

However, only one shot was needed to take out an enemy!

"Ten rings," announced the shooting range's prompt.

Min Chongwu was astounded. "You can even get a ten-ring with the hand cannon?"

He couldn't help but feel envious. With such shooting skills and the power of the "Hammer," even a legendary powerhouse would have to think twice before facing Ji Xinghuo.

Ling Yufeng, on the other hand, was not surprised at all.

She had already witnessed Ji Xinghuo's marksmanship, which was superior to her own. In fact, she had also considered using the "Hammer" as her regular weapon, but its weight was just too much. In actual combat, one would realistically only get a chance to fire a single shot, which was too risky. Other firearms were far more stable.

"What's your maximum accurate range with it?" Ling Yufeng asked curiously.

Generally speaking, rangers who had merged with "Precision" could maintain shooting accuracy with the "Hammer" within a range of 30 meters. In her case, she could extend that range to around 80 meters.

Beyond 80 meters, the accuracy dropped drastically, and the bullet trajectory became essentially random, leaving it all up to luck whether the target would be hit or not.

Ji Xinghuo casually replied, "About a hundred meters."

That's 500 meters!

This range was much shorter than that of electromagnetic rifles because the Hammer's high-explosive rounds would automatically detonate if they didn't hit a target after 500 meters.

Ling Yufeng guessed that Ji Xinghuo wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she decided not to pry further into his secrets.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ji Xinghuo fired the Hammer continuously, emptying the remaining five rounds in one go.

The entire shooting range vibrated with the force of the shots.

When the gunshots ceased, the alloy target had been completely penetrated.

Min Chongwu stared at the gaping holes in the target and involuntarily shrunk his neck. "Anyone who gets in your line of fire is truly out of luck," he remarked with a laugh.

The Halo Warriors had strong defensive capabilities, but even they couldn't withstand the Hammer's bombardment.

Ling Yufeng also shook her head, amazed by the display of power.

Zhou Ju had recruited a real monster into the Sharp Sword Bureau, and the other Red Cloud Swordsmen would surely feel the pressure.

"I'll take this Hammer, then. Please help me register it, Yufeng," Ji Xinghuo said, deciding that he had tested the gun enough and was very satisfied with this Gauss pistol.

"It's no trouble at all," Ling Yufeng replied. "You can take it with you now."

"Good."

Ling Yufeng brought over a specialized gun holster.

Ji Xinghuo tied it around his waist, and the Hammer slid snugly into the holster. The gun belt was also equipped with a row of high-explosive rounds, resembling an ammunition chain that stood out prominently, impossible to conceal with his jacket.

"You could try wearing a longer windbreaker in the future," Min Chongwu suggested with a smile. "That way, it won't be so noticeable."

"Makes sense," Ji Xinghuo nodded in agreement. It was winter, so wearing a windbreaker would be normal. But it might seem odd during the summer; he'd have to keep it stored in his dimensional pocket then. The next day, he switched to a casual-style gray windbreaker that was long enough to cover the gun holster.

For the next few days, Ji Xinghuo reported to the Sharp Sword Bureau's base every morning for half a day of classes.

Ling Yufeng and Min Chongwu took turns instructing him.

Ling Yufeng taught him about firearms, while Min Chongwu trained him in special agent techniques. For an ordinary person, this training would take one to two years.

But as an exceptional, Ji Xinghuo grasped the knowledge and skills much faster.

After a week, his teachers had nothing more to offer him.

All that was left was real-world experience.

The Sharp Sword Bureau had developed a virtual world specifically for testing the capabilities of their agents. Although Ji Xinghuo couldn't utilize the Myriad Phenomenon Manifestation in this information-constructed world, his microscopic perception was still active, and he effortlessly achieved perfect scores in the tests.

Over a dozen consecutive combat simulations, Ji Xinghuo successfully completed each mission.

Ling Yufeng directly reported to Zhou Yishang, admitting that she had nothing more to teach Ji Xinghuo and that he was already a qualified swordsman.

"Just qualified?" Zhou Yishang asked.

"Of course not," Ling Yufeng replied.

She stood across from Zhou Yishang's desk, her expression hesitant as if she was struggling with her words.

Zhou Yishang looked at her expectantly. "Go ahead and speak your mind."

"Yes, Director Zhou," Ling Yufeng said, her face a mixture of emotions. "Based on my observations, Xinghuo hasn't even shown his full strength yet. His talents are far beyond anyone I've ever taught. His marksmanship, martial arts, perception, abilities, combat will, and learning abilities are all exceptionally high. The swordsman training we offer is almost like a game to him."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Zhou Yishang laughed. "Our Sharp Sword Bureau has gained its sharpest sword."

Ling Yufeng lowered her voice. "But it's so sharp that it might hurt itself."

Zhou Yishang's smile faded.

After a long pause, he said, "I'm well aware of that. None of us in the Sharp Sword Bureau, including me, are qualified to be the swordbearer."

"But that's not for us to decide."

"The Sharp Sword Bureau is just a stepping stone for Ji Xinghuo. Our job is to make sure this stepping stone is solid, to help him grow and sharpen this sword. In time, someone worthy will take hold of this sharpest sword and wield it with unmatched prowess, making great contributions to our country."

Zhou Yishang's words made Ling Yufeng's heart skip a beat.

"Just treat him as a regular colleague, and don't overthink it," Zhou Yishang added.

"Yes, Director Zhou," Ling Yufeng replied.

At home, Ji Xinghuo stopped reporting to the Sharp Sword Bureau every day and instead spent his mornings in the training room, cultivating.

He cultivated until evening, had dinner outside, and then returned home.

In the evenings, he entered the virtual platform's martial arts world to climb the ranked matches.

Ji Xinghuo looked at his opponent across the arena, separated by a light barrier. He could see the gravity on his opponent's face, as well as a hint of confusion.

The two had already fought one match.

Ji Xinghuo had won effortlessly.

While this was normal for him, his opponent found it hard to comprehend. He was a ninth-degree martial artist, a somewhat famous figure in the martial arts world and a super mutant. He regularly logged in every few days to compete against opponents of a similar level.

As the countdown began, he recalled the previous battle while observing Ji Xinghuo, realizing he had no impression of this man at all. When he checked Ji Xinghuo's character profile, it was set to anonymous mode, hiding his nickname, rank, and win rate. Moreover, his character's appearance and clothing were the default settings.

He guessed that Ji Xinghuo was likely a high-level player's alternate account.

This was a common occurrence, and while a few of these alternate accounts had been exposed, he had just encountered another one today.

As the countdown ended, the light barrier disappeared.

"Senior—"

His opponent assumed a defensive stance, speaking as he moved, but Ji Xinghuo had no intention of responding. Holding his battle sword, he rushed forward, interrupting his opponent mid-sentence.

Clang!

His opponent's weapon, a metal staff, blocked the strike.

But this was just the beginning.

Ji Xinghuo's sword carried a vibrating force that traveled through the staff, causing his opponent's palms to go numb and his arms to weaken. Ji Xinghuo unleashed a series of slashes, the sword and staff colliding with a rapid series of clangs, like the ringing of a blacksmith's hammer, sending sparks flying.

With each slash, his opponent retreated a step.

Ji Xinghuo's momentum surged, and in the blink of an eye, he had his opponent backed up to the edge of the stage. If he fell off, he would lose.

"Hah!"

Knowing that another step back meant defeat, his opponent roared and forcefully blocked another of Ji Xinghuo's strikes, his feet firmly planted at the edge of the stage.

The staff swept horizontally and then thrust forward, the tip of the staff aiming for Ji Xinghuo's chest like a spear.

Ji Xinghuo sidestepped half a step to the side.

At the same time, he swung his sword, slicing along the staff. The vibrating force exploded along the staff, sending sparks flying towards his opponent's hand.

His opponent abandoned the staff, letting it fall as he sidestepped to avoid his hand being struck by the sword.

This sidestep was very short, just over a meter.

As he landed, he kicked the falling staff, causing it to rebound, the tip aiming for Ji Xinghuo's chin. This unexpected move was one he had practiced countless times, and he had relied on it many times to make a comeback and defeat his opponents.

Bang!

The staff struck Ji Xinghuo's chin but bounced off as if it had hit an iron plate.

"Iron Shirt Technique!"

Seeing his opponent's shocked expression, Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, "You've been found out!"

Such a move had no chance of surprising him. In the instant his opponent lifted his foot, Ji Xinghuo had guessed his intention. He deflected the staff, stepped forward, and slashed his sword at his opponent's neck. His opponent's body turned into white light and disappeared.

The battle was over.

Without giving his opponent a chance to communicate, Ji Xinghuo immediately exited the stage.

These days, almost every opponent he defeated wanted to talk after the battle, their attitudes respectful, obviously treating him as a senior master.

+3 Points

Ji Xinghuo opened his character interface, and after this victory, his ranking points had reached exactly 10,000, and his win rate remained a terrifying 100%!

"Congratulations, you have been promoted to the ninth level of martial arts," the system prompted.

"Finally, the ninth level!"

A smile appeared on Ji Xinghuo's face. He had advanced from the sixth to the ninth level of martial arts, later than he had expected, mainly because it was difficult to find opponents.

The online ranking could be certified in the real world.

As long as he went to any Martial Arts Association office and verified his character account, he could obtain a rank certificate issued by the association.

However, Ji Xinghuo had no such plans.

Firstly, he didn't care about the title; his online advancement was enough to prove his strength. Secondly, his win rate was too exaggerated—remaining undefeated might bring him some trouble.

To advance to the rank of Martial Arts Master, one had to either participate in the annual offline Master Ranking Tournament or place in a national or world-level martial arts competition.

"I'll think about it later," Ji Xinghuo said to himself.

Seeing that it was still early, and with nothing else to do, he continued with the ranked matches. After reaching the ninth level of martial arts, his opponents' strength would increase again, no longer limited to the ninth level or below. He might even be matched with a Martial Arts Master or a Martial Arts Grandmaster.

This time, the wait for a match was very short, less than ten seconds.

Ji Xinghuo was a little surprised.

His surroundings shifted, and he found himself on the stage, looking at his opponent beyond the light barrier with a hint of surprise.

His opponent this time was a woman.

She was tall and slender, and like him, she used the system's default appearance and clothing. She held an ordinary longsword and stood silently, her face expressionless, yet Ji Xinghuo felt an indescribable and unique aura from her.

Obviously, this opponent was strong!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end