Chapter 417 - 279: Paper to Steel, Glue to Weld (3)

Chapter 417: Chapter 279: Paper to Steel, Glue to Weld (3)

With a reliable new invention in the works, Zog was in high spirits. He remained in Deepwater City, taking on security duties for a while before the new guns could be mass-produced.

It wasn’t difficult, just tedious.

With so many residents still in the city, Zog couldn’t simply unleash his Dragon’s Might to scare off every Magical Beast that tried to get in. Instead, he had to fly wherever trouble broke out.

This meant that he, along with the small contingent of Beastman Warriors, had been run ragged lately.

Meanwhile, they also had to start establishing a local police department for Deepwater City.

To that end, the city held its first civil service examination to select police officers.

Once the firearms were in mass production, these officers would be responsible for dealing with the Magical Beast problem.

The academic standards for the exam weren’t high. Given the general level of education in the area, setting the bar any higher would mean no one would qualify.

The focus was on screening for physical fitness and moral character, with priority given to Professionals. It was mandatory that applicants have no criminal record; the same applied to their immediate family.

They also had to undergo multiple psychological evaluations.

As the old saying goes, it’s not the profession that’s noble, but the person in it.

For a profession like law enforcement, which required the utmost integrity, they had to select the most upstanding individuals they could find.

Furthermore, strict rules and regulations were established from the very beginning, strictly prohibiting things like torture and coerced confessions...

In the end, the first batch of qualified personnel numbered 122. The chief of police was someone Zog had requested from Figxin: a soon-to-be-retired Personal Guard captain with extensive experience in quelling banditry.

Of course, despite his extensive experience, he still had to learn the new rules and regulations from scratch.

This first batch of officers wasn’t enough to completely solve the Magical Beast problem. They could only slightly relieve the pressure on the Beastmen, who remained the primary fighting force.

The ultimate solution still depended on Yuno’s team finding a way to limit the fluctuations in Magic Power.

After more than ten days of non-stop work, a piece of good news finally arrived.

The optimized Peter Model 56 Magic Shotgun was ready for inspection.

Model 56 for short.

It was named that because it was designed and manufactured in the year 856 of the Third Era.

Zog arrived at the shooting range once again.

This was a proper shooting range, newly constructed for the armory.

Aside from the armory members, some Mages from the Mage Guild were also in attendance. They had all signed non-disclosure agreements, of course.

The optimization process had been completed so quickly thanks to the significant help from the Mage Guild’s Chairman, the old Elf, El.

This old Mage might look refined and easygoing, but he was actually quite the violent old man at heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tried to challenge Furin to a real-life duel over a forum argument.

El was extremely interested in this kind of cheap, yet effective, weapon.

Zog took the brand-new Model 56 in hand.

It was black all over, nearly a meter long, and included a drum magazine that could hold eight rounds—even better than Zog had requested.

Weighing in at seven kilograms, it was admittedly a bit heavy for a Human, but still manageable.

The standard ammunition was still the explosive shell, but other types—such as binding, corrosive, and electric shock shells, and even hybrid-function shells—were all in development.

Peter’s design philosophy was that of a catch-all; any kind of Magic Array could be stuffed into it.

The Model 56 had already undergone rigorous testing, so the atmosphere at this inspection was quite relaxed.

This time, the target wasn’t an Earthworm but a Petrifying Lizard, a Magical Beast with much tougher hide.

The ’Petrifying’ part of its name didn’t refer to its skin being made of stone, but to its ability to use a Petrification Skill. Its hide was tough simply because of its robust constitution.

Petrifying Lizards weren’t native to the area around Deepwater City; the species primarily lived in warmer climates. The reason they’d brought one in was because they had already tested the gun on all the local Magical Beasts, and none of them could withstand the Model 56’s firepower. Thus, a Petrifying Lizard had been specially transported from the south.

Zog raised the gun and aimed at the unlucky lizard two hundred meters away.

’Good thing there are no extremist animal rights organizations composed of Demonized People here.’

BOOM!

The new gun’s report sounded more like a cannon.

The shell struck two of the Petrifying Lizard’s front legs. The creature had eight legs in total.

Instantly, a multitude of Magic Arrays unfurled, far greater in number and density than those from Peter’s handcrafted prototype.

Under the saturation bombing, the target collapsed to the ground.

Another advantage of the Model 56 was that, unlike traditional kinetic firearms, its power didn’t decrease with distance. In theory, as long as a shell hit its mark, the impact would be roughly the same regardless of the range.

The variance in damage came from the differing number of Magic Arrays that were triggered.

It felt a bit like rolling a couple of dice to determine damage after an attack.

Zog fired several more shots in quick succession, emptying the drum and reducing the target to dust.

"Excellent," Zog praised wholeheartedly.

"We can start issuing these to the police officers. Er, just to the ones defending against Magical Beasts outside the city. The ones maintaining public order inside the city won’t need them. And the weapons must be returned at the end of every shift."

’This gun is too powerful. If it were used in the city, the collateral damage would be unthinkable.’

Thinking of this, Zog turned to Peter and said, "For our next project, how about developing a non-lethal firearm for police officers to use for peacekeeping?"

’Zog was confident that any non-lethal firearm they came up with would be far more reliable than an American taser. He’d seen plenty of videos where suspects managed to fight through a taser shock and attack the police; in the end, emptying a magazine was still the most effective solution.’

"But there’s no hurry on the non-lethal firearms," Zog added. "For now, you can all enjoy a vacation and your bonuses."

The researchers from the armory began to celebrate.

They’d never had such a pleasant job—they had only been here for a little over ten days and were already getting a bonus.

In contrast to the jubilant atmosphere among the armory members, the Mages from the Mage Guild stared blankly from a distance at the spot where the Petrifying Lizard had been reduced to slag.

"What’s on your mind?" Zog asked, sidling up to Old El. "Don’t tell me you’re that shocked by the Model 56’s power. A spell you could cast offhandedly would be far stronger than this. Besides, you helped optimize the gun."

"Yes, I did."

Old El sighed.