[[Rescue]Completed. You gained 8000 EXP.]
[Star Dragon Territory Strategic Defence Bureau Affinity +100.]
"Bro Xiao, you're incredible!" Lin Yao's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"You just noticed today?" Xiao Han raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Wei was straightforward. Realising he'd doubted Han Xiao wrongly, he apologised candidly: I apologise for doubting your abilities earlier. Without your command and the new gear, we'd have been doomed. As your squad leader, I welcome you to our team."
Though belated, the captain's welcome was better than none at all, Zhang Wei thought to himself.
Xiao gave a faint, ambiguous smile. "No need to apologise for such trifles. I'm a magnanimous person, after all."
A chill suddenly ran down Zhang Wei's spine. Why did that sound like sarcasm?
Han Xiao suddenly remembered something. "By the way, who manufactured your armour?"
"Oh, this is an unfinished prototype of the Warfighter Armour. It was captured from Tilius as war booty several years ago. Currently, we only have this single prototype. We're working on reverse-engineering the blueprints, but progress is slow. Even maintenance is a hassle. For now, it's my personal equipment."
The prerequisite for Warfighter Armour is the Advanced Weaponry branch's [Heavy Mechanical Modification] skill—a foundational requirement for many individual mechs, exoskeleton armour, and large combat vehicles. Tilius only developed a prototype, so Star Dragon's progress must be even slower.
Xiao's eyes flashed. "Leave the maintenance of your armour to me from now on."
"Alright." Zhang Wei's face lit up. After this operation, he had complete faith in Xiao Han's capabilities.
Li Yalin excitedly chimed in over the earpiece, "Is this bullet your new invention?"
Xiao Han explained the high-combustion ammunition's function. As seasoned operatives, they instantly recognised it as a new type of specialised incendiary round—similar to armour-piercing incendiary rounds but with significantly enhanced combustion capabilities.
Armour-piercing incendiary rounds penetrated armour; the projectile's igniter generated heat upon impact to ignite surrounding combustible materials. High-combustion bullets, however, utilised an unknown new incendiary agent. They didn't require impact to generate heat; they could directly ignite the air, adhere to any object, and "set fire" to everything. Their temperature was extremely high, with a destructive power equivalent to a high-concentration Molotov cocktail. Moreover, they could be fired from firearms, offering speeds and ranges many times greater than hand-thrown devices. In jungle environments, they would be an extremely lethal weapon, opening up more tactical options!
Zhang Wei and his team witnessed firsthand how the Black Hawk helicopter, capable of withstanding armour-piercing rounds, was ignited by just three shots from Lambert and forced to withdraw from the battlefield. Unless protected by special heat-resistant materials, metal surfaces could easily be heated to levels unbearable for humans and capable of destroying precision instruments.
Ma Qingyang squeezed into the channel, asking excitedly, "Are you selling this ammunition?"
"Of course. Fifty per bullet." Xiao's eyes lit up—this was the perfect opportunity to launch the high-combustion ammunition. Real combat results would boost their reputation.
Ma Qingyang couldn't wait. "I'll pre-order two hundred twenty in pistol calibre, one hundred fifty in submachine gun calibre, and thirty in sniper calibre."
"Got it. You'll have them within a day."
Xiao instructed Li Yalin, "Keep forwarding orders to me. You still get your 20% discount."
Li Yalin's eyes curved into crescent moons. "Got it."...
News of Ma Qingyang's squad being rescued spread like wildfire throughout headquarters, carrying the reputation of the high-combustion ammunition with it.
"Xiao's new product?"
"Heard Old Ma's squad survived thanks to those high-combustion ammunition."
The folding combat knife incident had piqued many Bureau 13 agents' curiosity about Xiao Han. Learning Ma Qingyang had ordered a batch of high-combustion ammunition, they flocked to investigate. Having been rescued by Xiao's squad, Ma Qingyang returned the favour by publicly demonstrating the rounds' capabilities on the training ground.
Blazing inferno!
The onlookers were instantly captivated by the high-explosive ammunition' destructive power.
What a marvel!
Leaving the training ground, the agents rushed straight to Li Yalin to place orders. The quantities were enormous. As Xiao had predicted, this versatile ammunition proved far more popular than close-quarters weapons.
The emergence of this new bullet type immediately drew the attention of Bureau 13's higher-ups. They were determined not to repeat past mistakes and allow blueprints to leak.
Thus, the R&D director, still reeling from the previous incident, was dragged out again for another stern warning. He was utterly frustrated—he had no intention of provoking Xiao Han again.
The 13th Bureau offered unlimited purchase terms for equipping field operations and special forces, though the price was slightly lower, two hundred thousand for five hundred rounds. Xiao accepted the deal, as agent orders lacked the stability of bulk purchases, and an additional sales channel was welcome.
Within a single day, Xiao's stockpile of thousands of rounds was completely sold out. The 200,000 Sea Blue Coins added to his coffers, combined with his existing 1.5 million from the dark web, meant he wouldn't have to worry about funding for the foreseeable future.
After advancing, Xiao's production speed surged again. Focusing entirely on high-explosive ammunition, Bureau 13 demonstrated its support by supplying specialised equipment for manufacturing casings and primers. With casing polishing no longer a burden, efficiency skyrocketed. Each batch yielded at least three hundred rounds, allowing him to produce over ten batches daily. Each high-explosive bullet granted a minimum of 5-10 experience points, steadily bringing in two to three thousand experience points daily.
Experience points piled up at an insane rate.
Xiao was confident that no other Mechanics-specialized player at his level could grind experience faster than him.
Beyond his daily, unshakable practice of refining his Qi, Xiao Han immersed himself entirely in manufacturing high-explosive rounds.
Finally, the season of harvest arrived!