I felt a pang of emotion, staring into her eyes. Shen Xingyue met my gaze for three seconds. Perhaps sensing some impulse in me, she averted her eyes, inserted the magazine into the dagger, and tossed it to me, laughing and scolding, "Get lost, will you? You look like you're about to eat me!"
"I do want to eat you, indeed," I confessed, taking a step closer.
Shen Xingyue placed her index finger on my lips and whispered, "Not today. I have other work. We'll talk another time."
"Alright... I'll be going then," I said with regret.
Shen Xingyue nodded and returned to her seat. Her ten slender fingers began to fly across the keyboard, feigning an immediate return to work. But her breathing betrayed her, incredibly erratic. She might have been lying to me, perhaps she didn't have work after all, but simply dared not keep me. She seemed conflicted, wrestling with herself.
I didn't give her the chance to struggle further. I pocketed the box and made my escape.
The office wasn't suitable. There were all sorts of high-level individuals in Shabiah. If I were to do anything with Shen Xingyue here, the entire building would know by morning.
Descending to the first floor and getting into the car, Chu Qi looked at her watch in confusion. "Why so soon? It's only been five minutes?"
"Five minutes isn't short. You drive, I need to make a call." I swapped seats with her.
"Are you okay, skinny dog..."
I ignored her, unhooking the Soul Seizing Token from my waist and looking for the Little King of Hell.
"What is it?"
"The weapons Shabiah promised to supply you with last time have been developed. Could you come over? I'll show you, and you can tell me if they're suitable. If they are, we can put them into immediate production," I said.
"So fast? Alright, tell me where." The Little King of Hell replied.
Definitely not in the city. The sound of a G98 rifle is quite substantial. So, I asked the Little King of Hell to meet me at Golden Rooster Ridge in fifteen minutes. We would test the firearm inside the dark port. It was already a semi-enclosed area, and while the sound might echo considerably within the port, it wouldn't leak out much.
By the time Chu Qi and I drove back to the base, I sensed the Little King of Hell's presence within the port. I quickly hurried down with the rifle. The Little King of Hell was unusually dressed in casual white clothes today. From behind, she looked like a noble young master who had stepped out of a historical drama.
"Shuyao, over here." I descended the stone steps.
The Little King of Hell turned around. Her refined and capable makeup almost made me stumble. She looked so much like the回头一笑 (huítóu yī xiào - turning her head and smiling) of Zhao Min, played by Zhang Min, in 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber: The Monkey King'!
"Are you alright?" The Little King of Hell frowned.
"Fine, fine," I swallowed, handing her the gun. "What do you think of it?"
The Little King of Hell examined the rifle carefully and struck a aiming pose. "This thing looks like a fire poker. Will it work? The bayonet part looks okay, though."
"This is called a bayonet, also a spearhead," I said with a smile, taking the gun back from her. I looked it over. "Find a target, and I'll demonstrate its accuracy for you."
The Little King of Hell looked out at a buoy on the sea beyond the port. "Hit that one. It's iron, we can at least hear something."
The distance was about two hundred meters. Fortunately, there was no wind tonight, and the buoy was stationary. I felt it shouldn't be a problem.
"Shuyao, stand facing the target," I instructed.
"Why?" The Little King of Hell looked confused, but she complied.
I moved behind her and rested the rifle on her shoulder. Her shoulders were straight and even, making the rifle quite stable.
"Cover your ears," I said, afraid of damaging her hearing.
"No need. This venerable one isn't unfamiliar with firearms. Go ahead," the Little King of Hell said resolutely.
I steadied the rifle, aimed at the buoy at sea. Through the sights, the buoy, actually a circle larger than a person, appeared much smaller than the sight. Precise aiming was impossible, so I had to estimate. Fortunately, I now possessed night vision, which made things clearer.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"Let's go."
Bang—clank, I hit the target.
As it used smokeless gunpowder, there was virtually no visible smoke. The sound, however, was quite loud, startling even myself. But the Little King of Hell seemed unfazed. She lifted the rifle barrel from her shoulder, turned back, and frowned at me. "Why is the sound so small? Does it lack power?"
"...Small?" I was puzzled. It was deafening!
The Little King of Hell shook her head. "It's far inferior to an arquebus."
Ah, right. I hadn't heard an arquebus up close before, but I knew the older the firearm, the larger the powder charge and likely the louder the sound.
"Do you want to try?" I asked.