Chapter 39: Here to Rob Me? You've Got Some Nerve!

A plasma hand cannon...

"With this thing, can't I just blast a whole group of them with one shot?"

Chen Yuan nodded excitedly, thinking the weapon was absolutely incredible. However, the materials required to produce it were quite numerous. The cannon itself required a variety of metals and ceramic materials. And to fire the plasma projectiles, it needed an energy source for heating, as well as an object to be heated: deuterium.

In short... the Plasma Hand Cannon, the Deuterium, the Nanobiological Fuel Cell, and the High-Concentration Liquid Carbon Fuel Tank—all four had to be combined to work.

「High-Concentration Liquid Carbon Fuel Tank. Materials required: Solid Carbon, Mineral Life Water.」 「Solid Carbon. Materials required: Wood Blocks, Eco-Friendly Combustion Pellets.」 「Nanobiological Fuel Cell. Materials required: Graphite, Aluminum, Copper, Iron, Steel.」 「Deuterium. Materials required: Solid Carbon, Wood Blocks, Eco-Friendly Combustion Pellets.」

Chen Yuan rubbed his chin. It seemed this "Solid Carbon" had quite a wide range of applications. In other words, a basic material like wood was an absolute necessity for him.

Hmm, the tent's space is so big. I wonder if I can grow my own trees? If so, I wouldn't have to go out and chop them down in the future.

Chen Yuan glanced around. "I can test that later. First, let's get this plasma cannon made."

The required materials were numerous and varied. He looked at his fully-stocked shelves and scratched his head with a sigh. He went outside and called Tiedan in, and they began to sort through the materials. Since Tiedan didn't have an industrial mechanical arm, the job of moving things naturally fell to Chen Yuan. Before, with Tieqiong handling it, it hadn't seemed like a big deal. But now that he was doing it himself, he discovered that some of these materials were genuinely heavy.

After working for the better part of the day, the materials were piled in front of the Apocalypse Store like a small hill.

"Phew... finally done."

Chen Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned, and sat down on a nearby sofa to rest. By now, it was late at night. Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep.

The night passed without incident. The next day, he slept until he woke up naturally, then stretched languidly on the sofa before getting up.

He walked over to the Apocalypse Store. On the manufacturing platform, a completely new thermostatic suit had appeared. After putting it on, he found that the material was significantly thicker, a bit like a motorcycle riding suit. He inserted a combustion pellet and set the temperature to 26 degrees.

Hmm. He felt a distinct lack of security when he wasn't wearing this suit now.

He stretched his limbs and began to feed more materials into the Apocalypse Store. Now, he was going to start making the plasma hand cannon.

He inserted the materials one by one, first producing the fuel cell and the liquid carbon fuel tank—the energy source. Then he produced the deuterium, which was essentially his ammunition. The final step was the plasma hand cannon itself.

For the entire morning, Chen Yuan was busy in front of the store.

Around two in the afternoon, the plasma hand cannon finally materialized on the manufacturing platform. It still had a silvery-gray finish and looked a bit like... an olive with openings on both sides? Along its side, from front to back, were three buttons. On the very top was an optical scope.

Chen Yuan raised his left hand, slid it into one of the cannon's openings, and fitted it over his entire forearm. Hmm, inside there was a grip, a firing trigger, and a safety switch. He flexed his arm, lifting the weapon. Thankfully, it was only about one and a half kilograms, not too heavy and well within his ability to handle. His forearm, now encased in the weapon, looked as if it were protected by a silver, cylindrical vambrace. The only downside was that his left hand was now completely occupied.

He reached out with his right hand and pressed the three buttons on the side.

Zzzzt... Three loading bays slid open. Battery, fuel, deuterium.

He inserted three small canisters of different colors, one by one. After the bay doors closed, a ring of ethereal blue light appeared around the circular muzzle at the front of the cannon. The light pulsed like a breathing lamp, giving it a very sci-fi effect.

At the same time, near his elbow, a hidden screen lit up.

「Fuel: •••」 「Deuterium: •••」

Chen Yuan scratched his head. "Does this mean I can only fire three shots, or something else?"

He picked up the instruction manual, and a pained expression immediately crossed his face. Yes, inserting one deuterium tank was only good for three shots. In other words, this thing was a gold-swallowing beast!

"As long as the power is great enough, I can tolerate it," he said, and continued to feed materials into the store, pressing the red button. Since it was a consumable, he naturally had to prepare more. The basic material required was wood anyway, and for now, there was still plenty of that outside.

With the plasma cannon on his left arm, he turned and exited the tent.

「Report, Master. A group of people is loitering downstairs.」

Tiedan's alert voice sounded out. Ever since the unexpected encounter with Lan Ya, Chen Yuan had made sure to reinforce his robot dogs' sense of vigilance. Humans could be good or bad; any suspicious behavior needed to be monitored.

Chen Yuan frowned slightly and walked to the window. Looking down from above, he saw that there were indeed several dozen people in the alley. His gaze focused on a burly man who was standing still, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"The Fenghuo Squad. They really don't know when to quit."

He snorted coldly, went back to the warehouse, and put away his tent. Then he looked at Tiedan and Tieniu. "Let's go."

「Roger.」 「Roger.」

Chen Yuan gave the hand cannon on his left arm a slight bounce, touched the Flame Dagger at his waist, and pulled open the front door with his right hand, charging out.

Last time, his three robot dogs had fought until they ran out of fuel, which had scared the group into retreating. Back then, he had no thermostatic armor and was pathetically weak, armed only with a normal bow and arrows.

But this time, he decided he was going to settle this matter for good.

From the fifth floor to the first, he moved without a shred of hesitation, bursting out of the building.

Looking at the group, who were furtively glancing around, he said in a deep voice, "Are you looking for me?"

His voice instantly drew everyone's attention. The leader, Wang Hao, his eyes narrowing, quickly took a few steps forward. In the next moment, Chen Yuan was surrounded at the building's entrance by thirty-four people. Tiedan and Tieniu flanked him, ready to act at any moment.

"Kid, I was starting to think you wouldn't come out," Wang Hao said, gritting his teeth.

Chen Yuan smiled faintly, his tone light. "Coming all the way to my door to rob me of supplies. You've got some nerve, huh?"

"So what if I do?! You injured so many of my brothers last time! I have to get an explanation for that today!"

"Tch. If you're here to rob, just say you're here to rob. No need for such high-sounding excuses." Chen Yuan pursed his lips with disdain, thinking to himself that the man's skin was thicker than a city wall.

He glanced around at the others. "What? You all want to rob me of my supplies too? Let's get this straight. If you leave now, I can let this go. But if you insist on robbing me, then you'd better be prepared to be killed instead."

Hearing Chen Yuan's words, the dozens of people who had surrounded him remained where they were, their eyes glinting with greed.

"Fine. I gave you your chance," Chen Yuan said, shaking his head slightly. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. If this is how the world is now, then the only way to stop killing is with more killing.

Seeing Chen Yuan's expression, a flicker of uncertainty crossed Wang Hao's eyes, but he quickly firmed his resolve. The supplies… he had to get his hands on them. Besides, looking at those two robot dogs, they seemed to have been upgraded; they looked different from before. Whatever. I brought more people this time. I don't believe I can't take this kid down.

But before making a move, Wang Hao asked another question.

"Did Jiang Nan come looking for you?! Tell me, where is she?!"

Chen Yuan was taken aback. Well now. You won't even let go of a teammate who left in secret? No... wait a minute... Jiang Nan's reason for running away was that Wang Hao had killed a teammate. But... was that the real truth?

He hadn't asked for the details at the time. But now, looking at Wang Hao...