First try with Crossbows

Crossbows were strictly controlled weapons on Earth, and civilians had almost no access to them. Only once, when Liam was taken to a shooting range by his former boss for entertainment, did he have the chance to experience a modern crossbow.

The crossbow crafted from the blueprint was a sleek combination of yellow, silver, and black, exuding an air of cold mystique. Two small discs, meticulously polished from brass, hung on either side of the crossbow, serving to support and draw the nylon string. A simple open-and-close mechanism in the center controlled the release of the crossbow bolts.

Liam tested it, finding it could hold five bolts at a time. Though the crossbow couldn't fire continuously and required reloading after each shot, the ammunition capacity was still a welcome feature.

With the crossbow loaded, Liam began the process of cocking it using the cocking device. The first bolt slid smoothly into the firing chamber.

Holding back his excitement, Liam retrieved a unit of wood from his inventory, crafting it into a target board, which he then placed in a corner of the shelter.

Taking aim at the board, he pulled the trigger.

Whoosh!

The bolt flew with a speed comparable to a small police pistol, instantly embedding itself in the wood.

"Damn, it's as powerful as it looks. This power is insane..."

Staring at the still-quivering bolt, Liam quickly went over to the target board.

Flipping the 6cm thick board, he found the sturdy crossbow bolt had pierced clean through, half protruding from the back.

While this power might not match the high-precision crossbows produced by major arms companies in the civilized era, it was certainly nothing to scoff at. If that chameleon from before had taken such a hit, it would likely have been killed instantly.

"Let's try this again..."

Having suddenly acquired such a formidable weapon, Liam was understandably thrilled.

However, he also understood that the crossbow's power was contingent on steady accuracy. In the previous shot, despite aiming for the center of the one-meter by one-meter board, his hand had trembled slightly, causing the bolt to hit the upper right corner, narrowly missing the target altogether.

If such a deviation could occur at a mere distance of ten meters, then accuracy at fifty or one hundred meters was even more uncertain.

Liam began a series of meticulous tests, encompassing everything from accuracy and power to trajectory, shooting feel, and the cocking mechanism.

The crossbow bolts were reusable, able to withstand being shot into the target board at least five times before showing any signs of wear. And even then, replacing the five bolts only required two units of wood and one unit of iron ore, a cost he could easily bear.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

With each shot fired, Liam carefully analyzed and adjusted his aim and shooting angle.

His proficiency with the crossbow grew rapidly.

Such lavish training at a shooting club on Earth would cost a small fortune per day, but in this apocalyptic world, he could indulge in it without restraint.

With every shot, Liam prioritized accuracy over speed or power.

After twenty or thirty rounds of focused practice, Liam turned his attention to the strenuous task of cocking the crossbow.

Cocking a crossbow had always been a significant challenge, especially with the composite quick-cocking crossbow in his hands.

Since the earliest crossbows, also known as stirrup-type cocking devices, crossbow enthusiasts had been on a continuous quest to find easier cocking methods.

This led to the development of hand-cranked gear mechanisms, pulley systems, and dedicated cocking devices, all aimed at improving cocking efficiency.

After cocking the crossbow thirty or forty times in succession, Liam felt his arms growing numb and weak. At the same time, he had also determined his current limits.

He could cock, aim, and fire the first three bolts within a minute. Subsequent shots each required half a minute to a minute of preparation time. And after ten shots, each bolt would take at least a minute and a half to prepare.

"If only it could be modified to have an electric cocking mechanism, that would be so much easier..."

The thought of the powerful upgrades offered by the apocalypse survival system excited Liam.

Focusing his attention, he mentally called out to the system and examined the crossbow.

[Hunting Composite Crossbow (Normal)]

Description: A long-range combat tool with a slow loading speed and high initial velocity. It has considerable lethality and is an essential tool for wilderness survival.

Shooting speed: 140m/s

Range: 80m (maximum damage), 165m (effective damage), 330m (maximum range)

Upgrade direction 1: Upgrade the crossbow material, increase the draw weight of the crossbow, reduce the pressure of cocking. Requires survival points (180)

Upgrade direction 2: Upgrade the crossbow material, add an electric cocking device, change the design mode, add automatic firing and burst mode, increase ammunition capacity. Requires survival points (400)

Introduction: Liberal arts students use Cupid's arrows to shoot girls' hearts, only science students use powerful crossbows to confess! Praise machinery!

"Holy shit..."

At a loss for words, a "holy shit" summed it all up.

Looking at the second upgrade option, Liam was both shocked and excited.

The option to add an electric device had appeared before when he was upgrading the wooden spear, but the electric device for the crossbow was on a whole other level.

With the electric device, the crossbow's firing method would be completely revolutionized. Not only would it gain automatic firing capability, but it would also cock itself electrically.

As long as there were enough bolts, Liam was confident he could turn this crossbow into a makeshift Gatling gun.

And this upgrade only cost 400 points!

At his current rate of progress, he estimated it would take about ten days to accumulate enough points. By then, his combat power would dramatically increase.

"Unfortunately, it still needs electricity. Until I can generate power or find a way to convert it, this thing is useless," he sighed.

Liam was once again reminded of the critical importance of restoring electricity. The rapid advancement of technology in the civilized era was largely due to the invention of electricity. Electricity brought the wonders of technology to the everyday person.

But now, without electricity...

Seeing Liam lost in thought, Oreo trotted over, wagging his tail, as if saying, "Leave any difficult tasks to me!"

"Oreo, I order you to generate electricity for me right now. This is your master's mission!"

Liam chuckled and pulled Oreo in for a head scratch.

Poor Oreo still didn't understand what electricity was, but hearing that it was his master's mission, a spark of intelligence flickered in his eyes.

From an angle Liam couldn't see, Oreo seemed to be deep in thought. But as Liam turned the dog's head to look, Oreo's briefly clear eyes clouded over once more.

[No Mutated Beasts Detected Within 1,000 Meters of the Player]

[Today's Uses: 0/3]

Having used up his last detection for the day and confirmed there were no mutated beasts nearby, Liam went outside with a torch.

Tomorrow was the day the acid rain disaster would arrive. He needed to do a final check to ensure the drainage system wasn't blocked by sand from the plains.

"I have to ensure it's one hundred percent safe!"

With Oreo on guard, Liam crafted three torches and stuck them in the ground.

The normally silvery moonlight had taken on an eerie red hue with the approaching disaster. The red light cast on the ground, blending with the torchlight, created an unsettling yet strangely beautiful scene.

In just half a day, a thin layer of sand from the plains had already accumulated.

Taking out his shovel, Liam began clearing the waterways. Once everything was done and he had confirmed the channels were clear, he returned to the shelter.

Lying in bed, he looked at the sturdy stone gate and the polished stone walls and floor by the torchlight.

On this final night before the disaster, Liam pulled up the covers, his breathing gradually slowing.

His thorough preparations gave him full confidence to face the coming disaster.

However, out in the increasingly cold night, countless people were still toiling away with torches, desperately trying to make anti-disaster preparations in the little time remaining. Only a small number of people sat in their shelters with complex expressions, waiting for the disaster to arrive.

With the intense sense of crisis, on this night, besides Liam...

No one could sleep peacefully...