Bai Mu arrived in the brightly lit basement for the second time. Dave had dropped him off here before leaving.
The room was exactly the same as it had been thirty minutes ago. After he replied to Dave, the equipment he had taken from the arsenal vanished. It was as if the armory had been completely reset with the push of a button.
The shotgun, rifle, submachine gun, and Revolver had all returned to their original places. The ammunition and wooden-handled grenades had also been fully replenished.
"If I only take a gun, how am I supposed to restock the ammo?" Bai Mu muttered, suddenly realizing a problem he had overlooked earlier.
He could only take three items with him. Taking a gun without any bullets would be an absolute joke.
What was the difference between an empty gun and a toy? In the next Script, there was no guarantee he would be able to find the corresponding ammunition.
'If I stuff the bullets into that backpack...'
A devious thought sprouted from the depths of his mind.
That was exactly what he had done while fighting zombies in the backyard earlier. He had stuffed most of the bullets and magazines into that green military backpack.
The rules of Paradise were remarkably flexible. If he crammed all the ammunition into the bag, the "Military Backpack" might just turn into a "Military Backpack Full of Ammo."
Acting on the impulse, he decided to give it a shot. How would he know if it worked without trying?
He eagerly got to work, pulling the backpack down from the wall. Sweeping his arm across the table, he shoveled bullets into the bag like a bank robber frantically packing gold bars and cash.
However, the result was quite disappointing. As expected, Paradise would not allow him to exploit such an obvious bug. The "Military Backpack" stuffed to the brim with ammunition was still just called a "Military Backpack."
It was as if the system was specifically reminding Players that they couldn't smuggle bullets out this way. "A Bullet" and "Military Backpack" remained items with completely separate attributes.
"Even after coming to Paradise, I still have to tighten my belt and live frugally," Bai Mu sighed.
The good news, however, was that the firearms already had fully loaded magazines inside them.
Bai Mu took down the vintage shotgun. It was no longer just a Script prop, but presented to him with the detailed attribute descriptions of a piece of equipment.
[Name: Dave's Shotgun]
[Type: Firearm Equipment]
[Quality: Rare]
[Lethality: High]
[Attributes: None]
[Ammunition: 6/6]
[Equip Requirement: Any passive skill related to firearms knowledge or technique at Lv. 6 or above]
He could still see the remark detailing the shotgun's origins, but it was hidden. He had to deliberately expand the text to read the full description.
It seemed that such background descriptions were only directly displayed the very first time Players viewed them.
Bai Mu noticed that after becoming an official piece of Paradise equipment, the gun now had an equip requirement.
However, this requirement was highlighted in green for him. One of his passive skills was Firearm Mastery, which evidently meant he met the criteria.
He had possessed this skill since his very first day in Paradise. It was an ability he had honed on his own, merely summarized and quantified into a data format by Paradise.
Looking at it this way, Players in Paradise were quite different from typical video game characters. Certain skills and knowledge could likely be improved through personal training and study.
His knowledge and proficiency with firearms had already been evaluated by Paradise as being at the master level. Similar skills were graded from Lv. 0 to Lv. 9, with beginners starting at Lv. 0. Progressing beyond Lv. 9 elevated the skill to Mastery.
Once a specific skill reached Mastery, it also granted a related mastery affix.
Opening his attribute panel revealed the description:
[Passive Name: Firearm Mastery (Lv. Max)]
[Skill Description: Can operate firearms of any tier, as well as perform repairs and maintenance.]
[Mastery Effect (Sharpshooter): Increases the hit rate of any shooting-based weapon or skill.]
This simply meant Bai Mu was an accurate shot. However, he felt this was an inherent ability he already possessed, rather than some sudden enlightenment that magically appeared upon reaching a certain level.
Perhaps the skills obtained within Paradise functioned differently from the abilities he naturally brought with him.
After completing two Scripts, he had yet to acquire any new active or passive skills. He would just have to wait until he actually obtained one to study how they worked.
With eight minutes left to make his choices, Bai Mu pulled his focus back and seriously considered what he wanted to take with him.
Aside from "A Bullet," there were also dedicated "Ammo Boxes" on the table.
[Name: 12-Gauge Shell Box]
[Type: Shotgun Shells]
[Quality: Common]
[Remark: Contains 10 standard 12-gauge shotgun shells.]
He needed to take at least one gun. The shotgun packed a massive punch, but sustaining fire was a major issue.
Even if he brought along a box of 12-gauge shells, he would only have a total of sixteen rounds. Against a large swarm of enemies, sixteen shots wouldn't be nearly enough. Conversely, against a single enemy vulnerable to a shotgun blast, sixteen shots seemed slightly excessive.
All things considered, the shotgun's practical applications were actually quite limited.
Whether used for hunting, defending, or pursuing, it couldn't be called exceptional.
The most likely scenario where it would be useful was similar to when he had just faced the giant zombie.
Nevertheless, after some deliberation, Bai Mu still chose it as his first item, placing it into his inventory.
He needed a trump card. This vintage shotgun was the second most powerful piece of equipment in the armory. The only thing more destructive was a 250-gram wooden-handled grenade. However, a grenade could only be thrown once, making it far less cost-effective than a shotgun that held six rounds.
For his second and third items, Bai Mu selected the Revolver and a box of pistol ammo.
He already had a shotgun serving as a devastating finishing weapon. For the rest, he had to consider versatility, practicality, and portability.
The submachine gun and rifle were much too conspicuous. Most importantly, a standard box of ammunition for either of them only contained twenty rounds. Even including the fully loaded magazine, that was a mere forty bullets.
In contrast, a box of pistol ammo held a full sixty rounds. Adding the six bullets already in the cylinder brought the total to a rather impressive sixty-six rounds.
Any enemy that could be killed by a rifle could just as easily be killed by a handgun. As long as his aim was true and he hit a vital spot, there was no difference in lethality between the two.
Moreover, the Revolver was noticeably easier to carry and conceal.
Bai Mu could tuck the Revolver into his clothes without drawing any unwanted attention. That reason alone was enough for the handgun to win out over those two bulky firearms.
He placed the Revolver into his inventory and gripped the box of pistol ammo.
Before storing the pistol ammo away, he didn't forget to equip the Medal of Honor. The medal's effects would only trigger while it was equipped.
Pinning the badge to his inner pocket, a new positive buff appeared on his attribute panel, represented by an adorable little yellow rubber duck icon.
[The aura of the Anti-Zombie Marine Corps envelops you.]
This aura was the very effect provided by the medal.
Ensuring he was fully prepared and hadn't missed anything, Bai Mu finally stored the pistol ammo during the last sixty seconds of the countdown.
[Main Quest complete. You have finished the Script and will be automatically teleported to the Community.]
A flash of white light enveloped him, pulling him out of Dave's basement and transporting him back to the Community.
[Script "Dave's Backyard Garden" is complete. Calculating rewards...]
...