r18novel Chapter 61 Purchasing Equipment
Chapter 61 Purchasing Equipment
Looking at the equipment on the list, Lu Chen added it to his cart while saying, "It's about what I expected!"
"A complete set of basic combat equipment, including an automatic rifle, four magazines, 200 rounds of spare ammunition, a suppressor, a tactical vest, bulletproof plates, a combat uniform, a combat helmet, knee and elbow pads, a monocular night vision device, a squad communicator, and a personal first aid kit, would earn you about 100 military merits."
"With our current military merit points, we can equip 22 people. But I don't think it's necessary to spend all our money on this."
Shen Qingci nodded; she was also looking at the same page, her fingers rapidly swiping across her phone. "I think so too. The zombies you control are the main fighting force. But I did find a custom equipment option here..."
She flipped to an inconspicuous subpage and handed the screen to Lu Chen.
It was an interface resembling a customization workshop, with the words "Customization of Cold Weapons and Protective Equipment" displayed. It allowed users to upload drawings and size requirements, and the weapons would be manufactured by a military factory and delivered with the next airdrop.
"We could totally customize some melee weapons, or even protective gear, for your zombies. That would be much more cost-effective," Shen Qingci said.
"Okay!" Lu Chen took her phone and carefully flipped through a few pages to confirm the customization process and delivery cycle. He nodded and said, "Then let's buy 10 sets of individual combat equipment... no, including the two of us, 12 sets."
"Regarding the field staff, I will approve 5 more new recruits tonight. Together with Ning Tieshan and his group of 5, and including the two of us, we will form a 12-person field team."
"We don't need the best firearms; a regular automatic rifle should be enough. We can use the military merits we save to get more bullets so we have more opportunities to practice our marksmanship."
12 basic individual soldier outfits, 100 points per outfit, totaling 1200 military merit points.
Shen Qingci wrote down the number in her notebook and quickly calculated the remaining amount: 2250 minus 1200, leaving 1050 points.
"Use all the remaining military merits to arm the zombies." Lu Chen switched the page to the Customization Workshop and began browsing the list of customizable cold weapons one by one.
The page displayed a much wider variety of weapons than he had expected, ranging from the most basic straight sword to the complex armor-piercing hammer, each with a recommended power level and material options for the user.
The heavy-duty horse-slaying sword is 1.4 meters long, with a blade length of 95 centimeters and a weight of 20 kilograms. It is recommended for use by strength-type ability users.
The armor-piercing hammer has a tungsten steel alloy hammerhead, weighs 12 kilograms, and has a high destructive power against armor.
The machete is 80 centimeters long and weighs 3 kilograms, and is suitable for rapid chopping.
The double-edged axe weighs 10 kilograms and can be used for chopping and chiseling. With its center of gravity forward, it is highly lethal but requires a high level of strength from the user.
"Heavy-duty saber... This is perfect for an elite zombie. It's the biggest one, you can swing it with one hand, and 20 kilograms is nothing to it."
"For Iron Pillar-level zombies, you can use an armor-piercing hammer or a double-edged axe, depending on each one's strength characteristics. For Mighty-level zombies, a standard machete is sufficient."
"Defensive equipment is also essential. A helmet is a must." He flipped to the page on protective gear, his gaze landing on a product labeled "fully enclosed combat helmet."
This helmet is completely different from the civilian motorcycle helmets I picked up from the electric vehicle parking area before... The shell is made of one-piece molded composite material, the goggles are bulletproof, and there is a thickened chin guard, covering the entire head in hard protection.
"This full-coverage helmet is great, much better than a motorcycle helmet." He clicked on the details page to check the protection level parameters and decisively added 28 items to his shopping cart.
"Besides the helmet, the neck is also a weak point. It seems there isn't any standard equipment specifically designed to protect the neck..." He flipped through the categories of protective gear from beginning to end and searched again using keywords, but couldn't find any relevant finished products.
"What do you think we should customize?" he asked Shen Qingci, turning to her.
Shen Qingci thought for a moment, then frowned.
She knew that the neck was one of the zombies' most fatal weaknesses. Last night, when fighting the elite zombie, San Zhuang had slashed the other's neck with his knife, leaving that deepest wound.
But she couldn't immediately tell what specific structure to use for protection.
At this moment, Gao Yuan, who had been sitting on the chair next to him with an enamel mug in his hand, put down the mug and rubbed his hands on his thigh. "When I was in charge of the cultural center at the neighborhood office, I organized opera performances for the elderly in the community..."
He sounded a little embarrassed, as if afraid that what he was about to say was too amateurish. "In traditional Chinese opera, ancient warriors wore a kind of protective gear called neck armor. The innermost layer was a soft lining, the side that touched the neck was cotton and linen, the middle layer was chainmail, and on the outside were several horizontal iron bars, which could both block sword cuts and maintain flexibility."
"This is a good item." Lu Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly typed a note in the customization section: "Neck armor, cotton lining, chainmail in the middle, iron bar on the outside to maintain neck mobility... I'll order 28 pieces."
He then quickly flipped through the pages on torso armor and limb guards.
With ready-made tactical vests and inserts for human soldiers, there's no need to bother with custom-made ones anymore.
They directly chose an oversized heavy armor suitable for zombie bodies, with a ceramic bulletproof plate on the front and back, thickened shoulder pads, and a soft stab-proof lining on the abdomen.
The arm guards were made of hard engineering plastic with steel reinforcement, covering the forearms all the way to the wrists, with gaps left in the finger area for easy gripping of weapons.
Cold weapons are much cheaper than firearms, and protective gear is even more affordable.
After Lu Chen finished adding all the zombie equipment, he checked the total price in his shopping cart. The weapons and full sets of protective gear for 28 zombies only cost 800 military merit points, which was 400 points cheaper than 12 sets of human soldier equipment.
He guessed that this was probably the military, deliberately lowering the price of protective gear... Using military merit points was practically like giving it away for free, just so that the superhumans on the front lines could live longer.
250 points remaining!
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then switched the page to the electronic devices category. "Besides weapons and ammunition, the problems of water and electricity also need to be solved."
"Right now we only have drinking water, not even water to flush the toilet, let alone take a shower. The quality of life directly determines whether these people are willing to stay."
He flipped to the generator page, selected a model labeled "High-power diesel generator, 15 kilowatts output power, capable of powering multiple devices simultaneously," and added it to his shopping cart.
Next are the water pump and the water purifier. We chose an industrial-grade high-flow model for the water pump and a military-grade reverse osmosis water purification system with a rated output of 500 liters per hour.
"The water pump and water purifier are both fine." Shen Qingci looked up at the product details on the screen and asked, "But where do you plan to draw water from?"
"There's a lake in the nearby People's Park. It's a bit small, but it's enough for us."
"Huh?" Shen Qingci was startled. "To get to People's Park from here... it's at least five streets away. Isn't that too far? I wonder how many buildings and alleys we'll have to pass along the way. The project is a bit too much."
Lu Chen placed his phone on the table and gestured a straight line with his hands. "It looks a bit far, but the straight-line distance is probably only about 3 kilometers."
"We don't necessarily have to walk along the street. We can just climb over the back wall of the residential area, go through the old apartment buildings, and then cross two abandoned parking lots. It's almost a straight line to the lake. If there are any buildings in the way, we'll just break through the wall."
He said this in a calm but undeniable tone.
"If we want to keep the survivors here, their quality of life can't be too bad."
"They're willing to stay here today because the military left; they had no other choice."
"But if, two weeks later, the rescue team actually arrives in Xicheng District, and these people are still living without water or electricity... do you think they will stay, or go to the shelter with the army?"