Chapter 052: Primary Weapon and Secondary Weapon

After listening to Lin Yan’s explanation, aside from his initial doubts, the further Li Gang listened, the less confusion he felt. By the end, shock and admiration for Lin Yan were all that remained in his heart.

This was what it meant to be a high-level player.

Compared to her, Li Gang felt utterly outclassed. In the more than twenty days since the official start of the decade-long life-and-death hunting game, he had been merely surviving like a stray dog. He often took pride in his planned training, in his efforts to improve and further strengthen his best skills, thinking himself clever for it. Now, remembering those moments, he could only feel deeply ashamed.

If there were a crack in the ground before him, Li Gang would have gladly crawled inside.

Lin Yan’s insights might not increase his basic stats or make him stronger in the short term, but they elevated his potential to new heights and would help him avoid countless detours on the path to strength.

It was like understanding the mechanics of a game: such comprehension might not boost your raw skills, but once you reached the upper echelons, this understanding became crucial—sometimes even more important than technical prowess—capable of determining victory or defeat.

Li Gang realized clearly that Lin Yan would only grow stronger with time, and her growth would accelerate.

“Can I really keep up with her pace? Am I truly qualified to be her comrade?” he wondered, doubting himself.

His heart felt unbearably heavy, as if a thousand-pound boulder pressed upon his chest, making it hard to even breathe, let alone move forward.

This was the invisible pressure from Lin Yan’s excellence.

To Li Gang, Lin Yan, speaking so calmly and confidently before him, seemed to radiate a blinding brilliance—so dazzling he dared not look directly, so unreachable that he could only yearn for it from afar, his heart tinged with a faint sense of loss.

“Li Gang, have you ever read a martial arts novel called ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’ from half a century ago?” Lin Yan suddenly turned to him and asked.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes?

“That’s right, whenever my mom was bored, she’d rewatch those old TV dramas that were popular in her childhood. I remember one was called ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes.’ There seemed to be many adaptations, and out of curiosity, I watched quite a few episodes with her,” Li Gang recalled. The scene with his mother was vivid in his memory: she would explain that the show was adapted from a novel by Jin Yong, a master of martial arts fiction from the previous century. Apparently, there were two more novels, collectively known as the Condor Trilogy, but their names escaped him now.

He could only remember The Legend of the Condor Heroes because he had patiently watched many episodes with his mother.

“I’ve seen the adapted TV series, but not all the episodes,” Li Gang replied, feeling a bit awkward but nodding anyway. That show was ancient; the novel must have come out ages ago.

He couldn’t believe Lin Yan would read such novels—were they even from the same generation?

But then he remembered his own passion for the decades-old game ‘League of Legends.’ How many people his age still played it?

With that thought, he let it go.

“Oh? I didn’t expect you to have seen the TV adaptation. That makes it easier to explain,” Lin Yan said, surprised that Li Gang actually knew the story. After all, martial arts novels had fallen out of favor thirty years ago, and new TV adaptations were rare.

“In ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes,’ the protagonist Guo Jing is considered slow-witted. There were countless peers smarter and more talented than him, yet in the end, he alone reached the pinnacle of martial arts and became a great hero of his era.” Lin Yan paused, then asked, “What’s your opinion of Guo Jing?”

Li Gang immediately understood why she brought up this example, surprised at how easily Lin Yan could see through his thoughts.

Still, he couldn’t help but complain, “My mom says Guo Jing isn’t really stupid—he’s wise in a simple way. She also said his achievements weren’t just thanks to his ‘protagonist aura’ but because Huang Rong always supported him behind the scenes.”

How could he, Li Gang, ever compare himself to the protagonist of a martial arts novel—someone blessed with the world’s luck?

These were merely his inner thoughts; he didn’t dare voice them, especially as he noticed Lin Yan’s expression take on a hint of sternness.

“I’m telling you this so you’ll understand: intelligence alone doesn’t make a true powerhouse. Even the smartest need luck, a correct path, and hard practice. Only when these three align can one reach the summit.” Lin Yan seemed both amused and exasperated.

“What matters most is that you’re on the right path and work hard. As for reaching the peak, leave that to the heavens,” she added. Then, thinking to herself, “Guo Jing had Huang Rong, and this blockhead has me. He really is dense.”

Li Gang nodded vigorously, vowing to work hard.

He knew Lin Yan was right; she’d told him all this to help him avoid unnecessary detours.

Sharpening the axe doesn’t delay chopping wood.

Before doing anything, finding the right direction is most important. Only by walking the correct path can one get twice the result with half the effort.

Li Gang resolved to remember all of Lin Yan’s theories. They might not directly boost his stats, but they could guide his way forward, helping him grow stronger faster and forming a solid foundation for his future achievements.

Afternoon.

In the spacious gym hall—

“This is the HK420 automatic rifle. It weighs four kilograms, stands 250 millimeters tall, and is 900 millimeters long. Except for the stock, which is made of a new high-polymer material, the rest—including the barrel—is crafted from an advanced alloy. It has a foldable bipod for aiming, and can be equipped with both optical and night vision sights. It’s fully automatic, with a maximum rate of fire of 1,000 rounds per minute, a 40-round magazine, and fires 5.56mm rounds with an effective range of 400 meters. This weapon operates reliably under any extreme conditions, boasts a long service life, and delivers stable firepower.”

Lin Yan held the jet-black machine gun, giving Li Gang a basic introduction.

She then disassembled the rifle, explained each component, and quickly reassembled it.

Standing beside her, Li Gang was left speechless from the moment she produced the HK420 automatic rifle.

“If Jia Tianming and Chen Feng had possessed this earlier, you wouldn’t even know how many times you’d have died,” Lin Yan joked upon seeing his stunned face.

She then shouldered the rifle and fired a burst at the thick, closed doors at the hall’s exit.

A rapid barrage of gunshots echoed out, and the solid wooden doors were instantly reduced to splinters.

Li Gang swallowed hard at the sight.

“This is my backup weapon. From now on, it’s yours—get familiar with it. For quite some time, this will be your primary weapon,” Lin Yan said, handing him the automatic rifle. She added, “I brought just over a hundred rounds, so spend the next few days learning its mechanics. In a few days, I’ll take you to the nearest military base, where you can practice to your heart’s content.”

As Li Gang took the machine gun, he noticed that his smart assistant didn’t flag it as contraband. Apparently, it wasn’t a banned weapon.

Still, he was puzzled—if even this wasn’t illegal, what kind of weapon had that person with the code 3467 used? Could it have been a man-portable missile?

He ran his hand along the still-warm barrel.

With enough ammunition and this weapon in hand, he believed he could roam freely across Huaxia, at least for now.

After all, with strict gun control, aside from some soon-to-be-obsolete low-powered pistols, ordinary people simply couldn’t get their hands on such deadly firearms.

“This is the latest model of military automatic pistol. It surpasses your current sidearm in durability, accuracy, reliability, and firepower. From now on, this will be your backup for self-defense.” Lin Yan produced a pistol and handed it to him, adding, “Its effective range is seventy meters, with a twenty-round magazine. The caliber matches your old pistol, so take time to practice with it.”

Excitedly taking the pistol, Li Gang couldn’t help but ask, “If you’re giving these to me, what will you use?”

He knew Lin Yan had a sniper rifle, so giving him the machine gun made sense, but handing over her pistol as well seemed odd.

Lin Yan smiled. “I brought two of these. I’ll keep the other one.”

For the next half hour, Li Gang familiarized himself with both firearms, repeatedly disassembling and reassembling them.

During this time, Lin Yan taught him a great deal about firearms, sharing useful tips and focusing especially on the HK420’s handling.

It was an eye-opening experience—he never realized even a simple pistol could hold so many complexities and secrets.