Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

“Who you do business with isn’t the point; the point is that we can help you through this difficult time,” Isaac said with a smile.

"Oh, did you hear that? This little kid said he'd help us get through this difficult time," the leader shouted to those behind him.

The dozens of people also started laughing.

Perhaps tired of laughing, the man looked at Isaac and said, "So, little friend, how do you plan to help us?"

"I brought ninety-five Sten submachine guns with me this time. I wonder if you are interested?"

As he spoke, Isaac snapped his fingers, and George, understanding, brought out several large boxes from the back. Inside the boxes were the submachine guns he had bought.

"Oh? Sten?" The man didn't seem optimistic about the gun. "How much are you planning to sell it for?"

“Three hundred dollars apiece,” Isaac said.

"What!?"

George was also a little puzzled. He squatted down next to Isaac and whispered, "Boss, these guns cost less than twenty dollars each, this..."

The leader also shouted, "Kid, don't you know the prices? I can buy this kind of gun for less than thirty US dollars."

Hearing him say that, George also felt that the deal was going to fall through.

However, Isaac remained unmoved and said, "At this price, you can choose not to buy. Do you want to cancel the deal?"

To George's surprise, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Chapter 490: AS

They hesitated, faced with a price that was clearly designed to rip them off.

Isaac looked at them and smiled. "I think you should know your situation, being targeted by two other gangs in this area."

"...Has it already reached you?" the leader said with a wry smile. "Even a little kid knows about it."

“It’s no secret,” Isaac continued. “The other two gangs deliberately prevent you from having these kinds of weapons in order to stop you from growing. And the merchants who supply them with weapons also have an agreement with them that they are not allowed to sell weapons to you.”

The United States is a country where gun ownership is legal, with 50% of households owning firearms. However, the weapons available for sale are limited to handguns and shotguns. Purchasing assault rifles and submachine guns requires a lengthy process, and buying large quantities of weapons is virtually impossible.

Gang warfare requires overwhelming firepower, and the more obvious the advantage of weapons, the easier it is to gain the upper hand.

The organization in front of us, due to being restricted by other gangs, could only purchase some handguns.

"So you're just trying to rip us off with this? I can use that money to buy some better weapons," the gang leader roared.

"Don't be ridiculous, who would be willing to provide you with weapons in this place?" Isaac laughed loudly.

His smile seemed to mock his inability to see reality.

"...But for just Sten, your price is a bit too high."

“Sir,” Isaac moved a chair in front of him and sat down in front of them, speaking in a low voice, “let’s not play these games. Selling you weapons is tantamount to standing against the other two gangs, and we will bear all the risks involved. For that risk, the price we are charging you is not unreasonable.”

"..."

The leader was speechless for a moment, but finally nodded.

Indeed, as Isaac said, selling them weapons meant going against the biggest gang in the slums, and the dangers they would face were unimaginable.

And they do indeed need a batch of weapons to confront the other two major gangs.

“I know Sten has a bad reputation; jamming and accidental discharge are commonplace. But you need it right now. Otherwise, how can your little pistols win?”

"That's true..."

“And if this deal goes through, then we’ll have a second and a third deal,” Isaac laughed. “Next time, you might be able to buy something even better for the same price.”

Isaac's words were somewhat tempting. The fact that someone was willing to provide them with weapons during this period when they were stuck was undoubtedly a timely help.

The problem is that this 'carbon' is a bit expensive.

"Boss, what do we do?" his underling asked in a low voice.

After hesitating for a moment, the leader extended his hand and said, "Kid, no, sir, it's a pleasure to do business with you."

Isaac laughed and clasped his little hand in his.

"Pleasant to work with."

May I ask your honorable name?

“My surname is Yao.” Isaac did not reveal his real name.

“Okay, Mr. Yao, we’ll take the whole batch of Sten.”

The leader waved his hand, ordering his men to move all the guns back, and then sent someone out with cash. It was 30,000 in total; the extra would be used to buy some bullets.

"Thank you for your patronage." Isaac picked up the money and stuffed it directly into George's hand without even glancing at it himself.

--------

"Boss, you're really amazing! The profits have increased fifteenfold."

In the car, George sat in the driver's seat, happily counting the banknotes in his hand.

"Just a pittance."

"This is the first time I've ever heard of such a cheap gun that can sell for such a high price, even though it has no redeeming qualities."

"Customers don't care about the product's advantages; they just want to know if they need it." Isaac leaned back in his seat, bored. "If we sell guns now, we'll sell airplanes and tanks later."

Upon hearing this, George hesitated and said, "...Boss, to put it bluntly, tanks aren't popular anymore."

“Of course I know that ground forces will have a hard time gaining the upper hand, so most people will switch to air power,” Isaac laughed. “Selling planes is a later plan.”

"No, AS is now widely used in the armed forces of various countries."

"...What's that?"

"Boss, you can see for yourself."

George took a magazine from the back seat of the car and handed it to Isaac. The magazine was called "AS Explained in Various Countries," and the cover featured a robot holding a gun.

"WTF?"

George explained, "AS stands for 'Armoredmobile master-slave system,' commonly known as ARM SLA VE (Assault Mech). It was a combat weapon that became popular in the Soviet Union during the Afghan War a few years ago, and now ground forces in various countries are using this weapon."

Isaac opened the magazine, which contained detailed information on the parameters and combat history of each AS.

These machines, called AS, are approximately 8.1 to 8.7 meters tall each. They are all humanoid figures standing on two legs, and the firearms they are equipped with are enlarged versions of well-known weapons from various countries.

Isaac turned to a page that featured the US military's latest AS equipment—the M6.

"My god, the price of one of these is enough for me to buy two top-of-the-line main battle tanks." Isaac's expression was one of utter disgust. "Who the hell came up with the idea of ​​designing weapons as humanoids? Have they been watching too many mecha anime?"

“Don’t say that. This thing is amazing. On the battlefield, it’s practically invincible unless there’s a large-scale bombing.” George said, “If I hadn’t retired, I would really like to go back to the army and try out this new weapon.”

“It’s no easy task to drive such a huge iron lump. At least with that technology, we might as well develop a bomber with a longer range,” Isaac said, looking at the descriptions of the weapons.

Almost all existing AS engines rely on high-powered gas turbine engines for operation. For example, the former Soviet Yak-92 (RK-92) was powered by a 1200-horsepower gas turbine engine.

It is known that the gas turbine of the latest US main battle tank has 1500 horsepower.

"How exactly does a 1200-horsepower engine move this behemoth?"

"Boss, look at its weight."

Isaac took a look and saw that the total weight was 12.5 tons.

In this way, the thickness of the armor can be basically determined.

“I’d rather die poor than go into the toy business.” Isaac threw the magazine onto the back seat.

"Really? But this kind of thing is quite popular now."

"It'll be outdated sooner or later."

Boom boom boom!

Just as the two were talking, a group of people came up from the front, and the one in the lead, who looked like a thug, knocked on the car window.

"Gentlemen, our boss requests your presence."

Chapter 491: Boss, are you the Terminator?

Most of the buildings in the slums are dilapidated because no one is willing to come and repair them.

But there is one very new building located on the east side.

Inside, the rooms were covered in clean wallpaper, with glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and oil paintings adorning the walls. Even more extravagantly, the floors of some rooms were covered in carpet.

Inside the room, a person whose five fingers were adorned with jewels was drinking red wine from a stemmed glass.

This is completely out of place in the atmosphere of the slums.

"Boss, we've brought the person here."

"Let them in," the man called the boss said in a hoarse voice.

Shortly after, a group of burly men in suits led Isaac and George in. The man who had invited Isaac earlier also came in and closed the door behind him.

"Please sit down," the man said, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

Isaac sat down without hesitation, looked at the flamboyantly dressed man in front of him, and asked, "You told us to come, so we came. This is a one-time offer. Remember to make an appointment next time."

"asshole!"

The thugs behind that man were about to say something to teach him a lesson when the leader of the gang raised his hand to stop them.

He looked at Isaac with a strange expression: "I heard that someone dared to sell guns to Jerry Myer's gang, so I wanted to see who it was, but it turned out to be an old man and a kid."

Jerry Mayer is the leader of the gang that traded the Sten submachine gun with Isaac.

"who are you?"

“Bass, that’s my name,” the man said with a smile.

"Okay, Bass, I won't hold it against you for sending people to bring me here. Do you want to talk business with me?"

"Hahahaha, talking business?"

Bass laughed loudly, thinking he had heard something funny.

"What right do you, a mere brat who hasn't even grown a beard yet, have to talk business with me?"

"Why are you here if you're not here to discuss business? My time is very valuable."

"you!"