Chapter 267: Shouldering a Cannon
But with such a tight budget, Elder Shaw only managed to buy two pistols with one hundred rounds each, plus some grenades, smoke bombs, landmines, sniper rifles, and so on...
Buying just the first item on the procurement list had already used up almost the entire budget.
But the more Elder Shaw looked, the more astounded he became. Boss Hart’s Light Brain seemed to have everything imaginable; you could buy anything you wanted.
Just as he was about to say something, he heard an alarmed shout from outside, "Be careful, that thing might go off!"
The two of them quickly looked over and saw a customer in the crowd shouldering a pitch-black cannon. It was as thick as a grown man’s waist, and its hollow muzzle looked as if it could suck a person in whole.
The muzzle pointed toward the sky, poised and ready. It looked as if a single command was all it would take to level the entire place, exuding an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
Lily Hart got up, strode out of the RV, and walked right up to him. Tilting her head up to look at him, she commanded sharply, "Put it down."
The man, about thirty-five years old, still had a flustered look on his face, his brow deeply furrowed. At her words, he heaved a sigh of relief and dropped the cannon to the ground with a loud CLANG.
The tremor from the impact made even Lily Hart take two steps back, a clear testament to the cannon’s immense weight.
’Don’t tell me he’s another one sent by the Mysterious Clan? Does he want to blow up my RV with that thing?’
’Probably not,’ Lily thought. ’Someone from the Mysterious Clan wouldn’t be this obedient.’ Before she could speak, the man spoke up first, stuttering, "B-Boss Hart, this is the prize I got from one of your scratch-offs."
"A prize? A cannon? Does it have instructions? Let me see," Lily Hart rattled off a series of questions.
The man frantically patted himself down, found a small card, and clumsily handed it to Lily Hart.
Lily Hart took it and read: Cannon. Daily limit: five shells. Can destroy any living creature.
Yep, the system’s descriptions were always simple and blunt.
’Any living creature? Does that include High-level Zombies and mutated plants and animals? Doesn’t that make it... invincible?’
’No, that’s not right. Destruction is predicated on having the time and opportunity to fire it. Without that, it’s useless.’
Still, the cannon was pretty incredible. Elder Shaw would definitely love it. She called for the man to follow, clutched the small card, and scampered back to the RV.
The man instinctively followed, only to remember after a few steps that he’d forgotten his cannon. He turned back to get it, and the moment he hoisted it onto his shoulder, his entire demeanor shifted.
"Check this out!" Lily Hart shoved the small card into Elder Shaw’s hand, her voice full of the pride of someone showing off a treasure.
Then she gestured to the man. "Sit." She then grabbed an orange from the table and stuffed it into his hands. "Go on, peel it and eat."
The man sat down cautiously, staring at the orange in his hands, completely overwhelmed by the gesture. ’I-is this... really for me to eat? I’ve been playing the scratch-offs for so long, but I’ve never once won fruit.’
He brought it close and took a sniff. The orange’s fragrance was rich and invigorating. He couldn’t bring himself to eat it, so he silently slipped it into his pocket.
He then sat ramrod straight, watching Elder Shaw and Lily Hart talk on the sofa.
Elder Shaw read the few sentences on the card again and again, growing more excited with each pass. His hands began to tremble, and his face lit up with delight. "A cannon like this really exists?"
When the man heard himself mentioned, he immediately stood up, hoisted the cannon from the floor onto his shoulder, his expression turning resolute. He then glanced at Lily Hart.
He stated with conviction, "It does. Mine is one!"
Elder Shaw glanced from the cannon to the man, asking suspiciously, "What did you do before all this?" Why was he so skilled at shouldering a cannon?
The man chuckled. "I was a soldier before all this. The apocalypse broke out right when I was about to retire from service. By the way, I’m also a member of the Central Command’s Guardian Corps. It’s my day off, so I figured I’d come out and unwind."
He radiated an aura of integrity, and when he shouldered the cannon, his eyes were filled with a resolve that made him seem unstoppable. Lily Hart relaxed. ’As long as he wasn’t sent by the Mysterious Clan, it’s fine.’
An excited Elder Shaw got up, stepped forward, and seized the man’s free hand. "Excellent! Are you interested in joining the Elimination Plan?"
The man was stunned for a moment, not daring to pull his hand back. He knew of Quincy Shaw, who in his eyes was a lofty, untouchable figure, someone he usually only saw on the Light Brain.
With an offer like that from him, the answer was obvious. "No problem! I’m extremely interested!"
Elder Shaw smiled as well. "Come, come, put the cannon down so we can talk properly. I can assure you that when it comes to compensation, you won’t be disappointed."
With another loud CLANG, the man set the cannon down again. Lily Hart was worried he might punch a hole through the RV floor. She stepped forward and tried to lift it... it didn’t budge an inch.
"It’s this heavy, and you don’t find it difficult to carry?" Lily Hart asked. She even got into a proper stance, squatting down and wrapping her arms around the cannon, trying to lift it.
Again... not an inch. And she was a Fifth-rank Superpower User, for crying out loud!
The man looked puzzled. "It’s not heavy, though?" As he said this, he casually lifted it with one hand and swung it onto his shoulder. He made it look as light as if it were made of paper.
But Lily Hart had tried lifting it. To her, it felt as heavy as the entire RV—a weight she simply couldn’t move. ’Could it be that the cannon is soul-bound to its owner?’
’Fine. Just fine.’
Seeing Lily Hart’s speechless expression, the man grew a little flustered. He carried the cannon over to the sofa and sat down gingerly, as if afraid of getting it dirty.
He said respectfully, "Elder Shaw, please continue. By the way, my name is Sean Bell. You can just call me Becky."
’Becky?’ Lily Hart couldn’t help but crack a smile. The name sounded a little funny for a grown man.
She dragged a chair over to sit in front of them, ready to watch their serious discussion.
Elder Shaw detailed the benefits of joining the Elimination Plan, explaining that, for example, the man’s family could be moved into the core residential district and would be assigned a house.
He would receive a fixed allotment of supplies every month, and members of the Elimination Plan also received a monthly distribution of Crystal Cores, just like a salary.
In short, the benefits were numerous, but the risks were also quite high.
Sean Bell nodded continuously as he listened. The moment Elder Shaw was done, he immediately confirmed, "No problem, I’m in! Just call me when there’s a mission."
Elder Shaw smiled, relieved. ’It would be great if everyone were as reasonable as Becky.’
Lily Hart smiled too. The Elimination Plan now had a renewed glimmer of hope.
Once everything was settled, Elder Shaw wrote a letter for him to take to the personnel department to process his transfer from the Guardian Corps.
Sean Bell accepted the letter with both hands, thanking them over and over. He left in high spirits, the surrounding customers gazing at him—and the magnificent cannon on his shoulder—with envy.
If they could get a weapon like that from a scratch-off, they’d surely be given an important role by Central Command.
「Time flew, and soon it was lunchtime.」 Lily Hart invited Elder Shaw to stay for a meal, which would also give him a chance to talk with Frederick Shaw. Of course, he couldn’t have been happier to accept.
Roman Rowe was the first to show up. He expertly tied on an apron and started prepping the ingredients to cook.
Lily Hart and Elder Shaw remained on the sofa outside, leisurely waiting for the meal to be served. Frederick Shaw sat between them, contentedly eating his orange.
He kept looking from left to right. ’Grandpa and Big Sis are both here. This is the best!’
"What are you two doing here?" Lily Hart asked, annoyed, as she looked at the two O’Malley brothers outside the RV.
She had a strong suspicion that the rumor about her blood having miraculous properties had been figured out and spread by that brat, Ash O’Malley.