Chapter Forty-Four: Neural Reflex

“Young master, you have an excellent eye!” The lively salesgirl smiled as she introduced, “This Bombardment Sniper is the most valuable gun in our store. According to its manufacturer, when fired at full power, it can annihilate everything within a ten-meter radius!”

“That’s amazing!” Le Han exclaimed in awe, but as soon as he spotted the price, his jaw dropped. “But 450,000 is far too expensive, and I haven’t even broken through to the first tier yet, so I can’t use it anyway!”

“That’s quite a pity!” The salesgirl’s professionalism was unwavering; her service did not change even when a customer couldn’t afford or chose not to buy.

After all, she knew that any customer who made it to the City of Technology was no ordinary person.

Meanwhile, Le Tian, noticing the odd looks from other customers in the store, felt thoroughly embarrassed. Dragging his son Le Han outside, he began a lecture in a hushed but firm tone.

“You can ogle all you want, but do you have to shout and make a scene? You’re humiliating me! Bringing you here this morning was a mistake…”

“….”

Nangong Yuchen had no words for this father and son pair. He turned away and continued to examine the other series of firearms displayed in the shop.

“S—M82A1—Type 75—Artillery Sniper! Price: 350,000”

“B—M1919A8—Type 22—Energy Light Machine Gun! Price: 130,000”

“A—MG470—Type 39—Energy Heavy Machine Gun! Price: 230,000”

“C—Desert—Type 18—Energy Pistol! Price: 100,000”

…

He scanned through all the guns in the store and found five series: the most expensive were the sniper rifles, followed by heavy machine guns, rifles, light machine guns, and pistols.

Their prices varied, and their appearances hinted at the differences in power. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each firearm’s name began with one of four letters: S, A, B, or C. It seemed to denote a grade—S being the most expensive, C the most affordable.

“Excuse me, miss, may I ask what those letters in front of the gun names signify? And why does that over-a-meter-long Bombardment Sniper have an extra ‘S’ at the end of its name, while the others do not?” Nangong Yuchen fired off several questions at once. This was his first time encountering neural reflex mecha weapons, so his mind was full of questions.

(S—HkNB11—Type 97—S—Bombardment Sniper)

The salesgirl giggled, “Little brother, you truly aren’t familiar with these firearms, are you?” She grinned.

Nangong Yuchen flushed, nodding awkwardly.

“To start with, all firearms in mecha equipment are energy-based. They differ from the ordinary bullet-firing guns outside. Their power and price are categorized into four levels: S, A, B, and C, in descending order. The ‘Type’ number at the end of the gun’s name represents its specific power value!” she explained with patience. “C grade includes Types 1 to 20; B grade is Types 21 to 30; A grade is Types 31 to 40; S grade is Types 41 to 100! Anything higher falls into the realm of second-tier mecha equipment!”

“As for the ‘S’ at the end of the Bombardment Sniper’s name, that letter means this weapon can be upgraded and modified! Among neural reflex-type mecha firearms, only a rare few can be upgraded. They’re not like speed or strength-type mecha weapons—such as knives, swords, spears, or giant axes—which can basically all be upgraded!”

“Do you understand now?” the salesgirl finished with a gentle smile.

Nangong Yuchen nodded thoughtfully, digesting the information before asking another question. “Are these five series the only neural reflex mecha firearms?”

“Of course not. Snipers, heavy machine guns, light machine guns, rifles, and pistols are just the basic series for the first tier. After the second tier, things change entirely. The weapons upgrade into even more terrifying forms. You should know, among the three mecha types, neural reflex is the most unique—and also the most powerful!”

“So, the guns of the first tier are just the basic series?” With this explanation, Nangong Yuchen finally gained a general understanding of neural reflex mecha.

Yet, as he admired the firepower of these weapons, he couldn’t help feeling their prices were painfully high.

From her description, both strength and speed mecha could be upgraded, so advancing from the first to the second tier wouldn’t require new gear. But neural reflex mecha would need to be replaced, demanding even more money.

Despite his concern over the cost, he still leaned toward neural reflex mecha. After all, they specialized in long-range bombardment, and their attack power in the same tier far surpassed speed or strength types.

As he gazed at row upon row of guns, he noticed a blue crystal hanging beneath each gun rack, each bearing a tiny red five-pointed star—identical to the badge worn by Le Tian’s friend at the entrance. He surmised that the star on the crystal medal might indicate first-tier status.

Feeling he’d seen enough, Nangong Yuchen finally voiced the purpose of his visit.

“By the way, do you buy back mecha equipment here?”

“Of course we do!” The salesgirl smiled slightly, glancing at the black carrying case on Nangong Yuchen’s back. “Are you looking to sell?”

Just then, Le Tian and Le Han, finished with their argument, returned from outside. Hearing that Nangong Yuchen wanted to sell mecha, they couldn’t help but come over out of curiosity.

“Hiss…”

Nangong Yuchen set his case on the counter and unzipped it, but halfway open, he paused and asked, “If it’s speed-type mecha equipment, do you take that too?”

“Ah? Speed-type?” The salesgirl’s expression flickered with embarrassment as she waved her hands. “No, we don’t buy speed-type mecha. You’ll want the shop next door for that.”

She had assumed the young man was carrying a gun—only to find out it was something else.

“I see,” Nangong Yuchen zipped the case shut and slung it back onto his shoulder.

He had planned to check the price here first, then visit several shops to sell to the highest bidder; after all, an extra thousand would cover a month’s living expenses. He hadn’t realized that different types of mecha were only accepted at specialized shops.

Seeing this, Le Tian took the lead, pulling Le Han out of the store, with Nangong Yuchen following behind.

“Thank you for coming, please visit again!” The salesgirl gave a polite bow before returning inside.

Standing in the corridor, the three glanced at the mecha shop next door. Le Han asked, “Nangong, should we check out the strength-type mecha shop first, or go straight to the speed-type one?”

“Let’s stop by the strength-type shop since we’re here—it’s not every day we get the chance.” Through the window, Nangong Yuchen had already glimpsed the massive swords and shields inside, and his curiosity wouldn’t let him simply leave.

With their course set, Le Tian led the way into the adjacent strength-type mecha shop, cautioning Le Han at the door not to shout and make a scene again.

————

PS: The naming format of the firearms is important for your reading later on, especially the power grades and ‘Type’ numbers for neural reflex weapons. Please remember this! If you don’t understand, feel free to leave a comment. In the future, there will be a special article introducing human mecha to make things clearer.