Chapter 8: Testing Guns (Part 2)

Hearing this, even Jiang Ningxue had no idea when Liu Yu had promised Lian Jincheng a reward of 100 taels in black-market goods, nor how the two had connected. No wonder Lian Jincheng appeared to side with Deng Cunyu on the surface but actually kept helping the other side and poaching clients. It would be strange if Boss Deng hadn’t lost everything this time to Liu Yu.
Liu Yu was never stingy with what he promised. He gave Jiang Ningxue a wink and said, “Ningxue, take 200 taels’ worth of black-market goods and go! Please take good care of Boss Deng’s new goods, Jincheng.”
Bribery truly was a powerful tool. Lian Jincheng’s smile shone brightly. “May the leader bless you! I’ll go get a cart right away—surely one cart will be enough!”
But Liu Yu wasn’t in a hurry. Calmly, he said, “Jincheng, don’t rush! Let’s find a place first to test the guns!”
Although he had paid a high price for the old guns, Liu Yu was actually very pleased. Guns like the Spencer, which were world-class even today, weren’t outdated at all. Especially in close combat where firepower was concentrated, they could even outperform French guns.
Lian Jincheng was also familiar with the area nearby. “There’s a reed field by the river behind our church. No one goes there usually!”
With that settled, a few people were sent to guard the ammunition, while the rest followed Lian Jincheng, carrying rapid-fire guns and two boxes of bullets.
Sima Tai was truly tired this time. He carried a Remington in his left hand and a Spencer in his right, plus a Minié muzzle-loading rifle on his shoulder. No one could get him to put it down—he refused stubbornly. “Though this gun is a bit slow, its power is great, and I’ve grown attached to it.”
The riverbank was desolate. Though it was spacious, there was no sign of people, and white bones could even be seen here and there—unknown from which battles in history. But for testing guns, it was perfect.
Liu Yu glanced at several unknown large trees in the distance, nodded, and said to Lian Jincheng, “Let each person fire three shots first. Which one shall we use first?”
As soon as Lian Jincheng was out of Deng Cunyu’s sight, he became more aggressive. “Spencer—butterfly gun! Sima, why are you still carrying that firewood stick?”
Though Lian Jincheng looked delicate and always said “amen,” under Deng Cunyu’s command, he was a skilled marksman. Dozens of souls had died at his hands.
However, his way of speaking always had a refined tone, which annoyed Sima Tai somewhat.
He had gone to a lot of trouble to buy this Minié rifle from Lian Jincheng. He had thought these foreign guns were the best in the world, but today he learned that Deng Cunyu still had many other top-quality hidden guns. He inwardly cursed Lian Jincheng for not being loyal enough.
Besides, he had developed an attachment to this gun too. Although Liu Yu had talked about the advantages of breech-loading guns, words were just words—seeing was believing. He had personally experienced the power and firing rate of this Minié rifle, and it could even be equipped with a bayonet, making it function like several guns at once.
So he grunted, “Though this gun is old, it’s not bad! Besides, can’t that Spencer carbine even be equipped with a bayonet? I still plan to use it in close combat!”

This was what Liu Yu mentioned when evaluating the Spencer rifle, and it was indeed the case—since it couldn’t be equipped with a bayonet, it relied on intense firepower to kill enemies. In a close combat situation, the rifle was almost useless. Yet Lian Jincheng still spoke in a refined tone: “Lord, have mercy on the invincible! Let’s fight one round each!”
“Okay!”
The two picked up their Spencer rifles. Since they used metallic cartridges, there was no need to load gunpowder from horns, insert bullets, and then light them, as required with muzzle-loading guns—repeating this process over a dozen times. The two simply opened the gun barrels and loaded bullets into the magazine one by one. In just a moment, they had the rifles ready again.
Lian Jincheng and Liu Yu almost simultaneously raised their guns, pulled the hammer, aligned them in a straight line, aimed, loaded bullets, unlocked the mechanisms, pulled the trigger, and locked them again. With a “bang,” a thin wisp of white smoke appeared, and their shoulders shook from the recoil.
Great! Sima Tai had never seen such a fast gun before. He was about to praise them when he heard the sound of a machine gun. Liu Yu and Lian Jincheng had already completed the processes of ejecting and discarding cartridge cases. Two metallic casings fell to the ground. They pulled the hammer again, loaded more bullets, locked the mechanisms, pulled the trigger, and with another loud noise, another bullet was fired.
So fast?
Sima Tai hadn’t fully recovered from his shock. He hadn’t expected their movements to be so synchronized. As soon as the cartridge cases hit the ground, they pulled the control lever again, loaded bullets, locked the mechanisms, and pulled the trigger—another loud noise.
It’s impossible to be this fast!
By the time Liu Yu and Lian Jincheng had fired seven bullets, Sima Tai was already numb—too fast!
Could it really be that fast?
Seven bullets fired in just over ten seconds! That was seven bullets!
His own fastest rate was three bullets per minute. This gun was absolutely insane!
He even felt like screaming to the heavens.
Then, he noticed silence. Turning around, he saw that the members of Liu Yu’s camp were even more stunned than him, all with their mouths wide open, staring at the two young men in the white smoke.
They didn’t know how to express their shock. As for Liu Yu’s fiancée, her eyes sparkled as if she was about to rush up and hug him.
Lian Jincheng was used to such reactions. He put down his Spencer rifle and smiled at Liu Yu, “It’s a tie!”
Liu Yu also smiled, “No! I won!”
He easily pulled the hammer, aimed, and pulled the trigger. With a “bang,” a bullet was fired. “I have one more!”
The Spencer rifle’s magazine could hold only seven bullets, but there was still room for one in the barrel, so he fired eight in total.
A gentle breeze blew across their faces.
Liu Yu gazed into the distance.
Demons and monsters—I’ll shoot them all down with one bullet.
Lian Jincheng was deeply impressed by Liu Yu. He simply replied, “Amen!”
Before the smoke cleared, Jiang Ningxue rushed out, “I’m going to see your results!”
Sima Tai followed her. The members of Liu Yu’s camp all rushed toward the two big trees they had shot at.
“They all hit!”
That was Jiang Ningxue’s joyful voice.
Sima Tai had still held out a glimmer of hope until then.
Hadn’t Liu Yu said this gun wasn’t effective at long ranges? The two trees they shot at were over a hundred meters apart. At that range, hitting even half of them would be impressive.
The harsh reality shattered his illusions—everything was hit!

Fifteen large, black holes were right in front of his eyes.
Weren’t they supposed to use pistol bullets? Weren’t they not powerful enough to kill prey larger than deer?
Good heavens! Not to mention deer, even an ox could be killed by them!
So Sima Tai reacted quite naturally—he firmly grasped the Spencer carbine and shouted, “This one is mine. I’ll give you the Minié rifle!”