Chapter 11: The Doctrine of Superior Firepower

Based on police intelligence, the killers are likely hiding in a concealed safe house in the Old Quarter. A short-range, high-intensity indoor skirmish—Close Quarters Battle (CQB)—is highly probable.

In such engagements, even professional special operations units can suffer heavy casualties if they aren't careful. Choosing the right equipment is paramount. Theoretically, this type of operation requires at least two people, and the best way for a lone operative to handle it is to turn around and leave. But there is no choice; Milton has nowhere to run.

Milton skipped the weapons for now and opened the armor page. Reality is not a game where you can respawn or take suicidal risks without psychological burden, treating failure as nothing more than a lost round. In reality, dying is final. Given the opponent's fierce firepower, purchasing armor was mandatory.

"To withstand the firepower of a TEC-9, NIJ Level II armor is generally sufficient," Milton mused. "But… I should leave myself a margin for error, a little redundancy." He shook his head and focused on the Level III armor section. "In reality, taking a bullet isn't as simple as losing a few hit points."

The potential for heavier weaponry in the killers' safe house, the risk of being incapacitated in combat, and the subsequent medical needs—these were disasters Milton could ill afford. As he opened the exchange interface, a prompt appeared on the panel:

[The host's current sphere of influence and manpower are insufficient. To redeem Level III armor, you must consume Red Contraband Points.]
[Seizing Level 1 contraband will yield corresponding points. Current balance: 110,380.]

Milton nodded slightly at the notification. To redeem better items at a lower point cost, one needs to develop their own faction. Otherwise, one must spend precious Red Contraband Points, and at the current stage, a vast array of items in the shop remained locked, even with those points. If he could, Milton would have bought a thermal imager in a heartbeat; with that, clearing out a gang indoors would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Fortunately, while high-end gear was unavailable, basic firearms and armor could still be exchanged.

Milton quickly processed the order:
[Paraclete RAV III Level III plate carrier set: 30,000 points]
[RAV tactical vest: 2,000 points]
[PASGT tactical helmet: 5,000 points]

He equipped the latest Paraclete Level III full-kit and the U.S. military-standard tactical helmet immediately. The set cost nearly 40,000 Red Points—an incredibly poor cost-to-performance ratio. Yet, Milton could no longer afford to worry about future point planning. He had to convert points into combat capability now to survive the immediate crisis; only then could he consider what came next.

[Exchange successful. Locating storage point. (Note: Redeemed items cannot appear directly on the host; they will appear in a secure location under your control based on proximity. Please ensure all necessary items are redeemed before combat.)]
[Your items have been placed in the storage compartment under the rear seat of the pickup truck. Please retrieve them promptly.]

They weren't delivered directly into his hands, then. That was reasonable, though; it would be quite absurd if Milton were to pull an RPG out of his pants in the middle of a fight.

With the armor sorted and a decent balance remaining, Milton turned his attention to weaponry. The firepower of his Type 56 assault rifle was already quite sufficient. He spent 3,000 regular points on 120 rounds of ammunition, three stun grenades, and three MK3A2 offensive grenades. He wanted more, but the shop displayed a "Sold Out/Restocking" notice. Limited influence brought limited access; he could only grab three grenades at a time. As for defensive fragmentation grenades, the blast radius was too large for indoor use, so he ignored them.

Next, he looked at handguns. He needed a sidearm. His M29 revolver wasn't bad, but it was ill-suited for the coming indoor fight; it was too loud for stealth and lacked the capacity to suppress enemies armed with submachine guns.

"There are six of them. If I can take one or two out before the firefight starts, the difficulty of the entire engagement will drop exponentially."

"I'll take a silenced pistol, a suppressor, and a set of subsonic ammunition. Even if I don't use it now, it might come in handy for future assassinations."

People often misunderstand suppressors. Some think they are useless, as the gunfire is still deafening; others think they make a gun as quiet as a pin dropping. In reality, for rifles—especially large-caliber ones—a suppressor only reduces the chances of the enemy pinpointing your position in outdoor combat. It turns a sound heard from five blocks away into one heard from across the street. It’s useful in the field, but useless indoors.

However, for small-caliber pistols, the effect is significant. If paired with low-charge, subsonic ammunition with a muzzle velocity of around 200 m/s, it truly can make a gunshot sound like a pin hitting the floor. At that point, the primary noise isn't the explosion of gunpowder, but the mechanical sound of the slide. To ensure maximum silence, one should ideally set the pistol to manual fire mode, racking the slide by hand to chamber each round rather than relying on the semi-automatic cycle. If the enemies aren't too densely packed, one could theoretically carry out an indoor assassination without alerting a soul.

Of course, this was purely theoretical. Indoor stealth is incredibly difficult, with complex environments and high variables requiring professional execution and a stroke of luck. Milton was just hoping for the best; if he managed to thin their numbers early, it would be a bonus.

[Ruger Mark II pistol: 10,000 points]
[Aguila .22 Colibri subsonic ammunition (20 rounds): 1,400 points]
[Outback II suppressor: 5,000 points]

After reviewing the list, Milton spent a few more points to add an MP5 submachine gun and matching ammunition as a failsafe, just in case the combat area proved too cramped for the assault rifle. In such tight quarters, a submachine gun is more reliable.

Finally, he picked up some miscellaneous gear. For optics, he spent 10,000 points on an Aimpoint Electronic red dot sight—it allows for shooting without needing to align three points, which is perfect for indoor combat. Though bulky with limited battery life, it was a solid red dot. He also grabbed a Tasmanian Tiger tactical backpack, an epinephrine injector, a 110cm tourniquet, and a pair of noise-canceling headphones for another 3,000 points.

[Insufficient space under the rear seat. Remaining items have been placed in the rear cargo bed, along with a waterproof tarp.]

With his shopping done, Milton closed the system panel and let out a self-deprecating laugh. "What stage of 'insufficient firepower phobia' am I suffering from?"

After that spending spree, he was left with just over 40,000 points. He had bought so many guns and so much ammo, terrified of running out. An assault rifle/submachine gun, Level III armor, grenades, a silenced pistol... In reality, his firepower was already overkill.

The rest was up to him.

Milton kept his foot on the gas, heading toward the Old Quarter in Malakan. On the way, he passed Lia's fruit stand, but the father and daughter were nowhere to be seen. The stall was closed, and it looked empty. Perhaps they were off restocking or fixing their damaged booth. Milton, barely able to look after himself, didn't have the luxury of worrying about others. He glanced at the shop and kept driving toward the Old Quarter.

Just then, a man waiting by the side of the road, who had been carefully observing passing vehicles, caught sight of Milton's work uniform. His eyes lit up. He stood up quickly, walked toward the road, and waved frantically, stepping forward as if to flag the car down.