Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 44: Terrifying power, absolutely cannot be mass-produced!!

Deep within the Blacksmiths' Guild lies a dedicated weapons testing ground, impeccably fortified.

Lou Gao led Lin Xia to an area specifically for testing weapon power, where several dummies wearing iron target plates of varying thicknesses stood in front of them.

Lou Gao handed the dark, heavy artwork to Lin Xia.

"Come on, Xia, let me see just how powerful this weapon really is!"

Lin Xia took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement and nervousness at handling a real gun for the first time.

Recalling the knowledge from his previous life, he gripped the gun with both hands and aimed with perfect form at the dummy about thirty paces away, which was wearing a one-inch thick iron target plate.

Pull the trigger with your index finger!

boom--!
A crisp, deafening gunshot echoed through the test range!
Almost at the same time as the gunshot, a crisp "clang" came from the target in the distance, and sparks flew everywhere!

A clear hole appears at the bullseye!
The bullet pierced through an inch of fine iron!
"it is good!"

Lou Gao praised the achievement, never expecting that the little guy could actually unleash such power!

"The penetrating power is impressive! With this force, even an ordinary Soul Master or even a Soul King would be in serious trouble if they didn't activate their defensive Soul Skills!"

"Xia, switch to my 'Thunderfire Bomb'! Shoot the three-inch one in the middle!"

Lou Gao's eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation.

Lin Xia switched to the "improved" bullet with a purplish-red tip.

Upon handling it, you can feel that this bullet is heavier, and it seems to have faint fluctuations of lightning energy.

Lin Xia raised his gun and aimed again. This time, he clearly felt an unusual pressure.

boom--! ! !
The moment the trigger was pulled, there was no crisp gunshot, but a muffled, thunderous explosion!

A blinding red light suddenly shot out from the muzzle, interspersed with tiny purple arcs of electricity!
A tremendous recoil force, far exceeding anything before, struck, causing Lin Xia's arms to go numb. Had it not been for his exceptional physical strength, he would have nearly lost his grip!
Meanwhile, thirty paces away—

Boom! ! !

An even louder explosion rang out!
Unlike before, when the three-inch-thick iron target plate was only pierced through a small hole, it was blasted open with an irregular hole the size of a bowl, centered on the point of impact!

The edges of the hole were molten and radiating high temperatures, with wisps of purple electric arcs still jumping and flashing at the edge of the hole!
A pungent smell of sulfur mixed with ozone filled the air!
The entire training ground was silent.

Lin Xia, holding the slightly hot pistol, stared dumbfounded at the smoke and sparks coming from the hole in the distance.

Lou Gao grinned widely, his thick beard trembling with excitement, staring at the hole and the gun muzzle, his eyes gleaming with fanatical brilliance.

"It's done! Hahahaha! It's done! Thunder and fire clashing! Penetrating armor and shattering solidity! Excellent! With this power, even a Soul Emperor would be severely injured if caught off guard!"

Lou Gao snatched the gun from Lin Xia's hand and examined the barrel and various parts carefully as if caressing a lover, muttering to himself.

"Hmm... the barrel temperature is too high... we need to add some cold iron... the fire crystal powder ratio can be adjusted again..."

Clearly, the master craftsman's mind was already absorbed in how to further optimize his modified results.

Lin Xia wasn't too bothered by Lou Gao taking the pistol; instead, she was deeply shocked, considering it was just a pistol!

What if they later develop rifles, sniper rifles, or even cannons?
Lin Xia couldn't even imagine what the situation on this continent would become under those circumstances.

However, as Lou Gao repeatedly inspected the gun and considered improvement plans, his fervent smile faltered slightly, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

The question that had flashed through his mind during the forging and assembly process resurfaced clearly after witnessing its astonishing power. Lou Gao stopped stroking the barrel, looked up at Lin Xia who was still calming down, and replaced the excitement in his eyes with a trace of worry. He asked in a deep voice:

"Xia, this pistol... its power is truly astonishing! I dare say, given enough materials, anyone below the Soul Saint level who is caught off guard and hit by a single shot will be severely injured, if not killed! But..."

Lou Gao weighed the heavy gun in his hand, his tone becoming serious.

"Its power is great, but the difficulty of making it is too great! Look at these parts, they are all interlocked, and the dimensional accuracy requirements are extremely high. The internal rifling even needs to be 'carved' out bit by bit by me with a diamond chisel and special techniques."

"Let alone the apprentices and ordinary blacksmiths in the association, even Si Long and Si Di wouldn't be able to make a decent set of blacksmithing independently without my personal instruction!"

"This thing... is impossible to mass-produce! Do you have any good methods to teach more people how to make it? Or simplify the process?"

"Mass production?"

Upon hearing these four words, Lin Xia almost subconsciously uttered a single phrase—"machine tool!" Assembly line, standardization, universal components… concepts of industrialization from her previous life instantly surged through her mind.

However, just as this thought was about to leave his mouth, a chilling coldness, like a venomous snake, suddenly seized his heart!

Lin Xia's pupils suddenly contracted!
Mass production?

A weapon that ordinary people can use... powerful enough to threaten or even kill a Soul Master?

Countless images flashed through Lin Xia's mind in an instant.

This is hardly a good solution to the problem.
This is clearly the key to opening Pandora's box!

It is a death warrant that will push the entire blacksmiths' guild, and even all ordinary people who might possess this weapon, into an abyss of no return!
Cold sweat instantly soaked Lin Xia's back.

Lin Xia abruptly stopped herself from speaking, her expression becoming extremely serious, even showing a hint of lingering fear.

After taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down, stared intently at the building, and spoke in a low, clear voice with an unprecedented seriousness.

"Teacher! I might have a solution! But we absolutely cannot mass-produce them!"

Lou Gao was taken aback by Lin Xia's sudden and decisive attitude, and his confusion deepened.

"Why? Such a good thing..."

"teacher!"

Lin Xia raised her voice a few decibels, interrupting him with a warning tone.

"Have you forgotten that this world is ultimately dominated by Soul Masters! Power is their privilege, their foundation, and the very basis for their rule!"

Lin Xia pointed at the pistol, her words striking Lou Gao's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

"If we actually manufacture a large number of these weapons, allowing ordinary people to easily, covertly, and remotely threaten or even kill Soul Masters... have you considered the consequences?"

Lou Gao's excitement and confusion froze instantly.

Lin Xia's words were like a bucket of ice water, rudely waking him from his cloud of technological fervor and instantly pulling him back to the cold reality.

Lou Gao was, after all, a master craftsman who had lived for decades. He had witnessed the changing times on the continent and had personally experienced the oppression of the local forces of the Spirit Hall.

He instantly understood Lin Xia's subtext.

Once this weapon proliferates...

　Brothers, please keep reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)