The First Combat of the Wood Borer Prototype Cannon

After two days of tinkering, Tom finally completed the construction of the repulsion gun. Due to issues with airtightness, the gun body had to be sturdy, but using solid metal made it too heavy. In the end, Tom had to use two wooden boards and cover them with metal plates to make it.

The bullets were naturally not square, and only one could be fired at a time. This limited the frequency of use of the weapon. Tom's old street zero-size model was bulky, and reloading was quite laborious. So Tom designed two different types of repulsion guns: the Wood Borer Type Zero and the Wood Borer Type One.

The Type Zero was larger and heavier, with a caliber of 1.6 millimeters, almost the same as the RPG rocket launcher. Considering that it took Tom more than 3 seconds to switch from speed mode to power mode, the heavy gun should not be held by hand; instead, it should be carried on the shoulder. Normally, it hung vertically on the back, and when needed, it could be pulled down to shoulder height for firing solid 1.6-millimeter shells, causing massive damage. This could be considered a repulsion cannon. This equipment was only used to deal with large-sized creatures because the bullets were as big as fists. It took about 2 seconds to fill them with enough red crystal energy to fire, and then the yellow crystal energy needed to be injected to detonate and shoot the repulsion force. It was not feasible to target small creatures, and using a large cannon to shoot mosquitoes was a waste, even though mutant mosquitoes were quite large.

On the other hand, the Wood Borer Type One was a single-shot rifle with a caliber of 0.22 millimeters, or 2.2 silk meters. After firing one shot, the chamber had to be opened, and another conductor bullet inserted. This gun required both hands to hold, with one hand controlling each type of crystal energy. Since the old street Type One was of the speed type, it was very suitable for hit-and-run tactics, making the Wood Borer Type One ideal for the old street Type One.

There were plans for a Wood Borer Type One Heavy Artillery with an expected caliber of around 5 millimeters for solid bullets. It was too heavy and would be a fixed gun turret used for fixed-point defense in the camp. However, production had not yet begun.

Since metal shaping was not universal, even the engineer-level Iron Scrap Old Man could only shape dimensions accurate to silk meters (1 millimeter = 10 silk meters). Additionally, he was not familiar with military weapons, so he could not shape structures like rifling inside gun barrels, which gave bullets the ability to rotate and increased their accuracy.

With the guns completed, it was time for field tests.

Just yesterday, Skinny Wang San had spotted a small mouse lurking outside the compound with red eyes, sneaking its head inside. Bozi considered it a threat and suggested confronting it with a gun and a cannon.

Tom agreed to his proposal. Mice had keen noses and had probably smelled human activity in the camp, which was why it had come. If it was a mutant, its skin would be thicker. That night, when Mutant Ah Huang fought the mutant rat, its claws didn't even scratch the rat's skin, which made Tom concerned.

It wasn't just this mutant rat; Tom felt it was time to clear the threats on the old street, or else they would sooner or later be visited by other mutant creatures. Small ones were manageable, but if a big one came, it would be problematic.

Acting promptly, Tom and Iron Scrap Old Man quickly adjusted the weapons and armor. After lunch, at exactly 11 o'clock, they opened the gate and set out.

It had been two days since the typhoon passed, but the damage it caused was permanent and terrifying, especially when experienced from the perspective of people shrunk to 1/24th of their size.

The courtyard was a mess, with debris scattered everywhere and a short tree fallen nearby. It was called a short tree, but to Tom, it was like an ancient tree that had stood for hundreds of years. Just getting around this giant would take some time.

The scout Skinny sneaked ahead for reconnaissance. If he didn't return, it meant there were no obvious threats ahead. So Tom and Bozi switched to speed mode and hastened their pace.

Finally reaching the exit of the courtyard onto the old street, Skinny stealthily approached Tom and said, "Boss, this isn't right. This rat has been lurking around here for the past two days. There's no reason for it to be absent today."

"Bozi, be alert! Sanli, deactivate your stealth."

Upon hearing Tom's instructions, Bozi immediately grasped the Wood Borer Type One rifle and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

In addition to the butcher knife on his shoulder and the Wood Borer Type Zero cannon, Tom had also made an extra shield. The serious exposure of their lack of defense during the last encounter with the mutant wood borer's woodchip bullets prompted the creation of this shield, which was reinforced with stainless steel from the iron box and was harder than the breastplate, but also heavier.

The purpose of having Sanli deactivate his stealth was obvious: to use him as bait to lure out the rat. Therefore, Tom had to take out the shield now to ensure Sanli's safety.

But Sanli nervously surveyed his surroundings for a while, but there was still no movement. "Boss, I'll go search the street. Maybe this rat has gone to rummage through the trash cans elsewhere."

"Hush!" Tom motioned for him to be quiet while pulling out the butcher knife. With one hand holding the shield and the other the knife, he protected Sanli in front of him. "There's something!"

They heard a clear clang from across the street, as if something metal had been knocked over. This startled Skinny. When he went out, he was basically in stealth mode all the time. Standing nonchalantly in one place like this, he felt like he was running around naked.

He really wanted to go into stealth mode quickly, but without Tom's command, he couldn't move. "Wait...wait..." Tom whispered, holding up the shield and trying to locate the direction of the sound.

Skinny Wang San gulped and sweat beads the size of beans appeared on his forehead.

"I see it!" Bozi exclaimed, aiming his gun, but Tom quickly raised his hand to stop him. "Hold your fire! Step aside first!"

Bozi, wide-eyed and sweating profusely, almost activated the yellow crystal energy to trigger the repulsion. He quickly obeyed the order and stepped back from Tom.

"Sanli, take cover! Bozi, don't shoot unless I give the order!" Tom commanded, lifting his shield and advancing. With the speed mode ended and transitioning to power mode, his steps were heavy, emitting a dull thud.

The mouse was agile, and its skin might be tough. A single shot might not cause effective damage, possibly just startling it. Once it ran away, it would be difficult to catch it again. These creatures were cunning and timid.

The mutant mouse was not particularly large, unlike the one that led the army that night, but its impact against Tom's shield still staggered him. Fortunately, he had just switched to power mode, and his steady hand absorbed the impact.

The mouse changed direction and attacked again. Tom didn't lower his face mask, so he still had some visibility. He immediately adjusted his shield to meet the oncoming bite.

The mouse's teeth were sharp, leaving a mark on the shield and producing a piercing sound. Tom took advantage of it biting the edge of the shield and chopped with his butcher knife, but the knife bounced off its head.

"What a hard skull!" Tom exclaimed, realizing the knife was useless. He immediately discarded it and used both hands to hold the shield, bearing the brunt of the mouse's attack.

The mouse's attacks were primarily focused on its large front teeth. This mutant mouse had exceptionally sharp teeth, and after several impacts, the shield suffered some damage. Meanwhile, Bozi, who had been aiming his gun on the side, moved carefully to avoid attracting the mouse's attention.

Their tactic was simple: Tom acted as a meat shield to attract the mouse while creating an opportunity for Bozi to shoot. Just now, if Tom hadn't intervened in time, Bozi would have forgotten their strategy and shot prematurely, likely scaring the mouse away.

Tom's shield wasn't invincible. With his helmet on, his head movement wasn't fast or wide enough. Several times, the mouse attacked from behind, almost biting through his crystal backpack. This prompted Tom to reinforce the backpack's hardness.

In addition to being agile, the mouse had impressive jumping ability. Just as Tom was preparing to block its next frontal charge with his shield, it leaped a meter away. Tom barely raised his head to see the huge mouth descending on him, and then everything went black, with only the sound of metal deforming in his ears and the painful sensation of his head about to burst.

"Oh no! It's biting my head!" Tom thought desperately. He tried to struggle, but then he heard a thud, and the mouse fell to the ground.

A conductor bullet grazed its back, causing it to struggle to get up and flee. Tom didn't give it a chance; he grabbed its hind leg to stop it from escaping.

The mutant mouse emitted a piercing scream, flipping and struggling, trying to bite Tom back.

At this moment, Tom's old street Type Zero was in power mode. He used his arms to clamp down on the mouse's leg and punched its head, not giving it a chance to bite back.

However, the mouse's skull was indeed very hard. With each punch, Tom's left hand throbbed with pain.

The struggle intensified, and with only one hand, Tom was at risk of being slipped by its smooth fur. So after hitting the mouse's head, he ignored his slightly painful hand and quickly grabbed its hind legs with both hands to prevent it from escaping.

Bozi fired a second shot, and Tom clearly saw the mouse's buttocks twitch, followed by blood flowing out.

The power of the Wood Borer Type One rifle could barely penetrate its buttocks' skin, but the back didn't seem affected, as the bullet was deflected upon impact, indicating that the skin there had a deflection effect.

In extreme pain, the mouse struggled desperately, and the frequency of its head swinging back to bite Tom increased, forcing Tom to frequently punch back. Except for his fists, Tom's hands had only cockroach leather, which couldn't withstand the sharp teeth.

After struggling for a while, Tom almost got bitten by the mouse, so he withdrew his hand. The moment he pulled back, the mouse broke free. In the gap, the mouse leaped into the air, landed on all fours, and tried to escape. But Bozi's third bullet hit its thigh, causing intense pain, making it lose balance and fall after leaping about twenty centimeters away.

"An opportunity!" Tom shouted inwardly. He simultaneously pulled his hand to his right shoulder, lowering the Wood Borer Type Zero cannon barrel directly at the mouse. There was a sight on the side of the cannon barrel, making it convenient for Tom to aim. Just over two seconds later, as the mouse tried to climb up, the Wood Borer Type Zero cannon fired with a bang. Tom's ears rang, and the huge recoil made him lose balance, falling backward onto his back, causing him to feel dizzy.

At this moment, all Tom could hear was the buzzing noise in his ears, and his temples throbbed painfully again.

"I remember the airtightness should be fine... When testing the target, it wasn't that loud..." Tom was somewhat puzzled. As for the mouse... he trusted his judgment before falling down. The shot should have hit, but its effectiveness remained unknown. If it escaped, it would likely sneak into the camp along the scent, which would be troublesome in the future.