That was the face of those emaciated creatures! The two small holes were actually eyes! The cheeks were sunken in due to extre emaciation.
The situation was clear now. One of Pihom's subordinates had first taken a photograph of the group of creatures as they ca out of the noodle shop, then sent it to Pihom. The flash had attracted the creatures' attention, and the subordinate had clearly been attacked. In his panic, he had snapped a picture of the monster's face as it rapidly approached him.
For so reason, Pihom had not sought help from the Spiritual Ability Enterprise or the Administration Bureau, nor had the noodle shop owner. Perhaps they had their own concerns, which made Chen Ke all the more wary of Pihom.
"The remuneration is 5,000 union coins. Once you've dealt with this, I'll pay you in cash," said Pihom. "Besides, I can tell you're running low on weaponry and ammunition. As an investnt in you, I'm willing to provide weapons and ammo."
5,000 union coins? That little? Damn, I help you kill monsters and you give this pittance?
Chen Ke hesitated for a mont. Judging by Pihom's style and deanor, he had expected him to be generous—at the very least ten or eighty thousand, right?
Of course, Chen Ke was still not clear on the cost of living in this world.
By comparison, 5,000 RMB in 2018 was just a month's salary for him.
After deducting social insurance, housing provident fund, and mortgage paynts, he would only have about 1,100 left in hand, which barely covered a month's commuting and food expenses, let alone the extent of his budget stretching.
In this world, however, the year is still 2009. A taxi costs only 7 union coins for 12 kiloters, and an internet cafe is just 2 union coins for two hours. He had just seen a Glock 17 on the shelf priced at only 510 union coins.
5,000 union coins wouldn't be considered a huge sum, but it wasn't insignificant either. Of course, the union coins should really be pegged to the US Dollar.
After so thought, Chen Ke felt that the remuneration wasn't low; it was just that he had an unrealistic expectation for what "demon hunters" should get paid.
Moreover, Pihom was offering free guns and ammunition, which was quite generous.
"Do you have the guts to take on this job? Make up your mind quickly!" Pihom knocked on the glass counter.
"They're as good as dead," Chen Ke accepted the job. With his resources depleted and no leads, there was no reason to refuse Pihom's offer.
Moreover, based on his experience using Holy Relics to kill dogs the night before, Chen Ke believed he had a good chance of taking down these creatures.
Having reached an understanding, Chen Ke and Pihom shook hands symbolically, each feeling the calluses on the other's palms. They knew that both were skilled with guns, and Pihom looked at Chen Ke with a newfound respect.
Pihom accompanied Chen Ke around the gun shop, letting him pick out a suitable companion. As Chen Ke's gaze lingered on a row of automatic rifles on the sidewall, Pihom shook his head.
"I can tell you don't have a clue about spiritual power weapons, and I won't inquire how you got that gun, but first, I need to tell you so basics," said Pihom.
He turned and pulled out a drawer from a cabinet filled with bullets. Inside were neatly arranged brown boxes of bullets with imprints indicating they were .357 Magnum rounds.
Pihom took out a box and extracted a single bullet to explain in detail to Chen Ke.
The bullets for spiritual ability pistols are specially made spiritual ammo by the Administration Bureau; neither guns nor bullets would circulate in the civilian market, exclusive to the Spiritual Ability Administration and Spiritual Power Industry companies.
Modified spiritual guns had no firing pins. They operated on a chanism called a "spiritual ejector," which could channel the investigator's infused spiritual energy into the bullets, launching them like a rubber band.
The reason spiritual ammo was so deadly to monsters was that these bullets ca with six types and eighteen attributes. The most common type was elental, naly Ice, Fla, and Lightning bullets.
Only these three types of bullets could be replicated by civilians through various ingenious thods. The .357 Magnum bullet in Pihom's hand was a homade Fla attribute spiritual bullet.
The bullet Parker used was the most expensive and rare Punishnt bullet with the Discipline attribute! Such bullets were not used by anyone other than investigators or special agents of the Administration Bureau.
Chen Ke rembered the white flash that erupted when the bullet was fired and the devastating power it had to disintegrate a human-faced dog's body, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Spiritual guns are under strict control, every ti one is fired, it's like sending a location signal to the Administration Bureau and the company that owns the gun, and there's no way to bypass this anti-theft chanism. You haven't used that gun, have you?" Pihom stroked his beard as he looked at Chen Ke and asked.
"Do I look like an investigator to you?" Chen Ke retorted.
Pihom laughed, patted Chen Ke on the shoulder, and led him to a display case filled with revolvers.
He took a large-caliber revolver with a black barrel and brown grip from the display case and handed it to Chen Ke, exclaiming, "Colt Python. Paired with the .357 Fla Magnum, it's a goddamn nightmare for all freaks. I recomnd you take this gun. Its large-caliber bullets have great stopping power, and the burning effect ensures that half-dead bastards have no chance of survival."
Chen Ke held the gun in his hand; it was heavy but felt just right.
This was a brand new Colt Python revolver with gun oil still glistening on its barrel and cylinder, which also featured Picatinny rails on top of the cylinder and beneath the barrel for mounting various tactical attachnts.
It was obvious that Pihom was a gun lover, even though Chen Ke figured running a gun store was just Pihom's side gig.
Chen Ke took Pihom's advice, loaded at least six boxes of Fla Magnum, and slipped the Colt Python into his holster, replacing the Glock 17 he had been carrying until then.
When Pihom saw Chen Ke's 9mm bullets scattered inside the bag, he shook his head repeatedly, "You treat these treasures far too roughly."
Pihom had his Black People security guard take five brand new Glock 17 magazines from the handgun counter for Chen Ke, and also gave him two boxes of Fla 9mm bullets.
Chen Ke glanced at the various automatic rifles and shotguns hanging on the wall but quickly dismissed the idea. Though more powerful, he couldn't carry those weapons around.
After all, this was a well-ordered modern society, not a dieval fantasy world where one could swagger through the streets with a greatsword and armor. He had considered sawed-off shotguns, like the Super Shorty, but given his likely fighting style of a gun in his left hand and a sword in his right, automatic pistols and revolvers were more suitable for him.
Ready to go, Chen Ke left the gun shop and headed towards "Good Wheat Noodle House."
Watching Chen Ke's departing figure, the gun store owner looked at Pihom quizzically and asked, "BOSS, aren't you trusting him a little too much? What if he just takes the gun and runs off?"
Pihom chuckled, pulled out a newspaper from under the counter, with the headline reading "Big Trouble in Opportunity City: Black Box Conversion at Building on Route 429!" Below the headline was a smaller print: "1 civilian and 1 investigator confird dead; spiritual gun missing, Administration Bureau investigating!"
"You think this kid did it? He dare kill an investigator?" the gun store owner asked.
"If he really has the guts, I wouldn't mind bringing him into our little group. You know, we need fresh blood right now," Pihom replied.
"What if it wasn't him?" a Black People security guard suddenly asked.
Pihom glanced at the Black People man, who quickly lowered his head.
"It's too much of a coincidence, Opportunity City isn't that small a place, and it's hard to randomly et soone carrying a Spiritual Ability Pistol and not knowing what bullets to buy. Right, Hall?" Pihom remarked, turning to look at the Red Door.
A man in his thirties with deep chestnut-colored hair and a face marred by a large scar stood at the doorway, his gaze chilling.
"I don't know; if the kid isn't a coward and settles the noodle house matter, I'll have a talk with him," Hall spoke, "But for now, Pi, let's get back to our previous topic. Si's consortium got their hands on so good stuff last night..."
"Don't rush, when they co back, we'll settle everything..." Pihom lit a cigarette and turned to walk into the Red Door with Hall.
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