Chapter 43: A Narrow Escape, Almost Lost It

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At last, the vehicle arrived at its destination: Dara Village. The scene here was even more intense than in Peshawar’s city center; almost everyone on the street was carrying firearms. The shops lining the streets were all related to weapons—either workshops for machining parts, bullet factories, firearm assembly, or gun repair shops. In short, everything revolved around arms, which was utterly thrilling.

Thanks to prior arrangements with two security guards, the car stopped in front of a shop. Chen Lin took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped out. The moment was tense, yet the shopkeeper surprisingly greeted him warmly in fluent Southwestern Mandarin.

“My friend, welcome, welcome.”

Chen Lin scratched his head, feeling something was amiss. Didn’t gun dealers usually look fierce or at least dress sharply? How come this one resembled an ordinary villager? The man before him was plump, harmless-looking, and spoke Southwestern Mandarin fluently—had he perhaps studied abroad?

Never mind. Since he was already here, Chen Lin reminded himself that customers were gods—there was nothing to fear.

After some cordial conversation, Chen Lin learned that the shopkeeper had indeed studied for four years in the “City of GAY.” Since they were friends, Chen Lin got straight to the point.

“I want all the guns and grenades in your store—whatever you have, I want it all. If you can get more, I’ll take it too.”

The shopkeeper was taken aback. “Friend, why do you need so many weapons? Are you a terrorist planning trouble back home?”

Chen Lin shivered. “I wouldn’t say that—I love my country very much.”

“Then why…” the shopkeeper began.

“Never mind that,” Chen Lin interrupted, slapping his UnionPay card on the table. “Come on, it’s time to show me what you’ve got.”

In the fifteenth year of the Hongwu era, Chen Lin’s body was carried into the garage by workers. Chen Xiaolan had sensed trouble the moment she heard the explosion. When she saw her young master’s corpse, she was initially stunned and about to cry. But then, as if recalling something, she quickly calmed herself.

“Xiaolan, it’s my fault—I didn’t protect the young master. You can kill me!” Shi Dazhuang knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, full of regret.

Chen Xiaolan knew she had to keep calm. Too many people couldn’t learn that their young master had the power to come back from death.

“Brother, the young master is just injured. Why are you crying? Pay the workers first—I can heal his wounds.”

Shi Dazhuang looked up through tear-filled eyes. “But the young master…”

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Chen Xiaolan gave him a warning look. Though he didn’t fully understand, Shi Dazhuang obediently gathered the workers to pay them and clear the garage.

Chen Xiaolan then carried the young master’s body alone to the basement. She had just lost her virginity the night before and was already weak; the effort made her ache even more.

Finally, she laid the young master’s body gently on the bed in the nanny’s room. Looking back, she saw a long trail of blood on the floor.

“Young master, you just rest here for now. I’ll clean up.”

But as she turned, an inexplicable panic welled up inside her. She couldn’t hold back and ran back to the body, clutching it as she wept bitterly.

Though she believed the young master would surely come back to life, what if he failed? Or what if he returned to the future and didn’t want to come back?

Chen Xiaolan dared not think further. She forced down her panic and sorrow and used a towel to clean the blood from the young master’s body.

“Please come back, young master!”

“How can I live without you? Boohoo…”

Crying exhausted her, and she eventually fell asleep leaning against the corpse.

When night fell, she woke with a start and hurried to check the body—still no sign of movement.

“Believe in the young master, Xiaolan. You can do this. Now go clean up; he likes things tidy. If he comes back to see blood all over the floor, he’ll be unhappy. Yes, that’s right—first, clean up…”

Chen Xiaolan steeled herself, glanced once more at the young master’s body, then left the nanny’s room to summon the floor-cleaning robot.

Meanwhile, in Dara Village, Peshawar, under the shopkeeper’s arrangement, Chen Lin rented a warehouse to store the arsenal he had purchased.

By day’s end, his UnionPay card was practically smoking, having spent over eight million yuan. For a billionaire like him, the money was endless—he could never spend it all.

To procure as many weapons as possible, he extended his purchase by ten more hours, working until after ten o’clock at night, emptying the entire inventory of Dara Village.

There were handguns of various models, AK automatic rifles, M14 automatics, M1941 light machine guns, grenades, RPG rocket launchers, even eight 60mm mortars. Along with vast quantities of matching ammunition, he took as much as he wanted, packing and boxing it all, filling the more than two-thousand-square-meter warehouse to capacity.

Nearby villages, having heard there was a bonanza of weapons and cash, rushed over overnight.

Chen Lin and the shopkeeper sat smoking outside the warehouse door. Outside stood ten armed and loaded men.

“Friend, with so many weapons, how do you plan to transport them? Need me to arrange trucks?”

Before the shopkeeper finished speaking, a piercing sound of artillery shells whistled from afar.

“Danger! It’s the Taliban’s artillery! Get down, cover your heads!”

The shopkeeper yanked a chair, pressing Chen Lin beneath it.

Boom!

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Approximately five or six hundred meters away, a fireball erupted into the sky. But that was just the beginning—the ground shook as explosions continued relentlessly.

Chen Lin hugged his head, staring at the distant blaze, his heart trembling.

Damn, this is way too dangerous!

System, how much time is left?

[1 hour and 36 minutes remaining...]

[Reminder to host: You may choose to cut off the process early; you need not wait for the full time to elapse before traveling.]

Why didn’t you say so earlier? Do it right now—take me and all these weapons back to the Ming Dynasty immediately!

[Acknowledged!]

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The instant Chen Lin disappeared, he saw a shell land seven or eight meters away. He could even watch the shockwave’s slow-motion ripple approach him.

Scorching air hit his face, mixed with shrapnel and debris flying his way.

“Damn it, why haven’t I traveled yet?!”

Boom—

The shopkeeper was killed on the spot by the shockwave, and the entire warehouse was blown away by the blast.

But strangely, all the previously stocked weapons had vanished without a trace.

When Chen Lin opened his eyes again, he was already in the basement, surrounded by the spoils of his purchase.

Before he could react, Chen Xiaolan burst out of the nanny’s room, sobbing.

She almost tripped over the scattered weapons.

“Young master, you’re finally back! Boohoo…”

Chen Lin opened his arms. “Yes, yes, it’s my fault. I made Xiaolan worry.”

After calming Chen Xiaolan down, Chen Lin recalled the near-death experience and shuddered involuntarily.

That was close—too close!

No, he had to calm down first. His heart was pounding, and fear gnawed at him.

Only mutual comfort could soothe their wounded souls...