Chapter 31: Ammunition Resupply

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Ammunition Resupply

As another forty-eight-hour countdown quietly reached zero before Xu Mo’s complicated gaze, he stood in front of the iron door marked "Ammunition Storage." His face held little expectation, instead showing a helpless, wry smile as he let out a soft sigh.

In just a few days, the ammunition he had painstakingly gathered from his previous two "door openings"—be it the 7.62mm rifle rounds for the AK, the TT-33 pistol cartridges, or the precious .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rounds—had been consumed at an astonishing rate, completely disrupting his original plans.

Xu Mo had underestimated the "tuition fee" required to master firearms. His formidable physical constitution allowed him to easily overcome the discomfort of recoil, enabling him to practice shooting continuously. But the direct consequence of this advantage was that his ammunition consumption grew at an exponential rate.

Xu Mo felt he could pull the trigger again and again without any psychological burden, allowing him to feel the effects of different breathing rhythms and grip strengths on his shot placement, and to practice rapid aiming and target switching. This lavish training method, "fed by ammo," was remarkably effective, but the cost was equally enormous.

With the weather growing progressively colder, Xu Mo had originally planned to use this door opening to find a sign for "Outdoor Supplies" or "Emergency Gear." He wanted to search for professional cold-weather clothing, snow boots, heaters, and other such items to better prepare for the impending harsh winter.

But now, the looming ammunition crisis forced Xu Mo to use this "door opening" opportunity to once again replenish his spent ammo.

’In all those post-apocalyptic novels I read, I don’t remember the protagonists burning through so much ammunition just for practice...’ Xu Mo couldn’t help but grumble at the gap between fiction and reality. Only through personal experience could one understand what a heavy burden it was to maintain firearm proficiency, especially without a stable source of resupply.

Of course, the massive expenditure also brought Xu Mo tangible rewards. His marksmanship had improved by leaps and bounds under the last two days of what could only be described as extravagant training. He had gone from his initial shots flying off to who-knows-where, to now having a decent hit rate on stationary targets, and could even effectively engage targets while moving slowly. This improvement was bought and paid for with real resources.

Gathering his thoughts, Xu Mo pressed his palm against the cold iron door.

"Open!"

A faint light flowed, and the scene before him suddenly opened up.

This time, there were no accidents; the sign had pointed him to the correct destination. Xu Mo appeared in a space filled with order and a military aesthetic. It was clearly a proper ammunition storage facility.

Near the entrance was a simple desk, upon which sat an old-fashioned desktop computer and a dark blue, hardcover notebook with "Warehouse Log" written on it. Beyond the desk were rows upon rows of uniform, dark green metal shelves. Each shelf was clearly marked with the ammunition type and lot number. Everything was in perfect order, exuding a sense of extreme efficiency.

’A military Ammunition Storage...’ Xu Mo made the judgment in a single glance. Only the military would have such large-scale and standardized storage methods. A jolt of joy went through him; it meant the ammo reserves and the standard-issue types he needed were likely far beyond his imagination.

Time was tight—the sixty-second countdown had already begun!

Xu Mo shot inside like the wind, his eyes rapidly scanning the labels on the shelves.

"7.62x39mm!"—He’d found the food for his AK! Xu Mo rushed to the corresponding shelf and, without bothering to look too closely, began hauling out entire cases of rifle rounds, stacking them in the safe zone outside the door.

"7.62x25mm!"—The pistol ammunition section. Xu Mo hauled these out by the case as well.

".338 Lapua Magnum!"—Arriving at this relatively separate area, Xu Mo saw there was still plenty of stock. Greatly relieved, he again moved several cases, including the precious Armor-Piercing Bullets.

Xu Mo was like a diligent worker ant, shuttling at high speed between the inside and outside of the door. Outside, a small mountain of various ammunition cases quickly began to form.

When Xu Mo felt he had finished replenishing his main ammunition supply, with about seven or eight seconds left on the clock, his eyes unintentionally swept over a shelf in the corner, and his heart gave a sudden, violent thump.

On that shelf, neatly stacked, were墨-green boxes printed with grenade pictograms and serial numbers. They were standard-issue grenades!

The destructive power of these things was on a completely different level from bullets. Whether for breaching fortifications, creating chaos, or dealing with dense hordes of corpses, they were the perfect choice.

Without a shred of hesitation, Xu Mo lunged toward the shelf and wrapped his arms around two boxes of grenades.

The very instant he embraced the boxes, the scene before him shattered and dissipated like a broken mirror.

"THUD!"

Xu Mo dropped the heavy ammunition cases onto the ground. Before him now was a mountain of assorted ammo boxes, along with his last two wonderful surprises—the grenades.

Although the process had been tense and his supply-gathering plan had been forcibly changed, the haul from this "Ammunition Storage" trip was undoubtedly immense, even far exceeding his expectations. Not only had he replenished his consumption and built up a large reserve, but he had also acquired area-of-effect grenades.

Surveying these heavy "metal fruits," Xu Mo finally broke into a smile. It seemed that for the next door opening, he could finally focus on finding winter supplies with peace of mind.

Without bothering to rest, Xu Mo immediately began to take inventory of his massive "ammo harvest." He needed to know exactly how much of a foundation he had brought back and how to categorize and store it.

He first turned his attention to the most numerous item, the rifle rounds. The dark green metal cases were clearly marked. Xu Mo opened one case and found five neatly arranged tins inside. Each small tin contained five sealed kraft paper packets.

He tore open a packet of gleaming, brass-cased 7.62mm rifle rounds. The bullets exuded the faint, mixed scent of gun oil and metal.

’Sixty rounds per pack, five packs per tin is three hundred rounds, and five tins per case...’ Xu Mo calculated mentally. ’That’s fifteen hundred rounds per case.’

The number made Xu Mo click his tongue. In rifle rounds alone, he had replenished nine thousand rounds.

Next were the pistol rounds. The cases were slightly smaller, but the structure was similar. Xu Mo had moved three cases, and by the same specifications, each case held fifteen hundred rounds, for a total of four thousand five hundred.

Then came the crucial .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rounds. The packaging for this large-caliber ammunition was thicker, and the cases were larger. Xu Mo opened a case to inspect it. Inside were tightly packed plastic boxes, each typically holding 20 rounds. He made a rough estimate; one case held about a thousand rounds. He had moved three cases, meaning three thousand sniper rounds. This was enough for him to conduct extremely lavish training and deal with any high-value target.

Finally, Xu Mo’s gaze fell on the two most significant items from his haul—the grenades. On the dark green cases, the skull and crossbones and explosive warning symbols were particularly eye-catching.

Xu Mo carefully opened one. Inside were ten individually placed, standard-issue grenades secured with shock-proof material. He had moved two cases, meaning twenty in total! The strategic value of these things far surpassed an equivalent weight in bullets.

Tallying up all the numbers, Xu Mo himself was stunned by the sheer quantity:

7.62mm Rifle Rounds: ~9000 rounds

7.62mm Pistol Rounds: ~4500 rounds

.338 Sniper Rounds: ~3000 rounds

Grenades: 20

"Damn... This is enough ammunition to support a small-scale skirmish," Xu Mo sucked in a sharp breath.

Xu Mo did a quick mental calculation. With this much ammunition, even if he used two to three hundred rounds of various types for training every day, it would still be enough to last him a month. In other words, he wouldn’t have to worry about ammunition for a while.

However, during the inventory process, a detail that had been previously masked by tension and urgency suddenly surfaced in Xu Mo’s mind, causing him to pause.

Strength.

Back in the ammunition storage, he had been so focused on racing against time that he hadn’t realized just how heavy the objects he was moving were.

Calming down, Xu Mo began to recall:

A case of rifle or pistol rounds, fifteen hundred rounds, plus the metal case and packaging, probably weighed over twenty kilograms. A case of .338 sniper rounds, one thousand rounds, might weigh close to thirty kilograms.

And in those brief few dozen seconds, he had shuttled back and forth, moving a total estimated to be over three hundred kilograms of ammunition.

Although it was done in multiple trips over a short period, the fact that he could lift a case weighing dozens of kilograms each time and still move quickly was something the old Xu Mo could have never done.

’My strength... has it grown to this extent?’ Xu Mo looked at his own hands. His palms were a little red from handling the rough cases, but he felt no torn muscles or aching bones, only the fatigue of intense, short-term exertion.

He thought back to over a month ago when he had just arrived in this world, his body weakened and ravaged by a high fever, struggling just to move some furniture to block the door. And now, he had moved hundreds of kilograms of ammunition, only realizing its weight in hindsight.

This was all the subtle change brought about by the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training. His daily Posture Stance to temper his qi and blood, the slapping and hammering to forge his muscles and bones—the growth in his strength wasn’t a sudden surge but had seeped into every inch of muscle and every bone, like spring rain nourishing the earth. It was only when it was needed that it suddenly revealed its astonishing foundation.

’Looks like it’s not just my marksmanship...’ Xu Mo clenched his fist, feeling the power flowing within him, far more abundant than ever before. A gratified smile appeared on his face. ’The body itself is the best weapon.’

This ammunition run had not only resolved Xu Mo’s logistical crisis but had also given him a clear measure of his growth over the past month. This tangible power, originating from within himself, was more reassuring and exhilarating than any external weapon.