My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 140 - 115: Choosing a Combat Companion

The Armor-Piercing Arrowhead struck the Anti-Riot Shield over seventy meters away. With a sharp POP, the tip pierced straight through.

The reinforced plastic Anti-Riot Shield shuddered violently from the impact.

"The power's not bad," Fang Zhen said, his eyes lighting up.

The Armor-Piercing Arrowhead certainly lived up to its name. Its armor-piercing capability was indeed impressive.

An Armor-Piercing Crossbow Arrow had an estimated eighty to ninety percent chance of breaking through a Black Armored Fierce Ghost's defenses.

Overall, this could increase his chances of successfully clearing the dungeon by at least 5%.

Given the performance of the Armor-Piercing Arrowhead, Fang Zhen was even more eager to see what the other special types could do.

He picked up a Meteor Hammer Arrowhead. It had a blunt tip.

He cocked the compound crossbow again and loaded a Meteor Hammer Crossbow Arrow.

Once the bow was drawn, he took aim again.

Once his hands were steady, Fang Zhen pulled the trigger.

The Meteor Hammer Crossbow Arrow flew.

THUD!

An incredibly loud noise echoed, like the beating of a war drum.

The Meteor Hammer Crossbow Arrow didn't pierce the Anti-Riot Shield. Instead, it ricocheted off.

Fang Zhen had excellent eyesight and could see that the arrowhead seemed to have shattered on impact.

Xiaojun, standing beside him, let out a long sigh.

"It didn't break through," Xiaojun said with a soft sigh. "Like I said before, the Meteor Hammer is especially effective against metal armor, not so much against reinforced plastic."

"If that were a metal anti-riot shield, the Meteor Hammer would have gone right through it. Other arrows, even the armor-piercing ones, might not have."

Fang Zhen nodded slightly.

He actually knew a bit more about this than Xiaojun did.

In ancient armies, many armor-piercing arrows were actually blunt-tipped.

The idea that an arrow without a sharp point can't be lethal is as laughably amateurish as thinking one can catch an arrow with their bare hands, or that an ordinary person could dodge one with some fancy Body Technique.

A blunt tip could kill just as effectively.

When a blunt tip struck metal armor, its properties often made it more likely to shatter the metal, sometimes making it even more effective than a sharp arrowhead.

Besides, an arrow doesn't have to kill by piercing. Blunt force trauma is just as deadly.

It was like police-issued firearms. The first round might be a rubber bullet, true, but rubber bullets can still be lethal.

At close enough range, a shot to the head could turn a person's brain to mush or even snap their neck from the sheer force of impact.

The shotguns used by armored truck guards and the rubber bullets fired by police are both fully capable of killing.

Compared to a metal bullet, it was merely the difference between being fatally stabbed with a dagger and being fatally bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. An ordinary person couldn't survive either.

By the same logic, this type of Meteor Hammer Crossbow Arrow might not pierce a Black Armored Fierce Ghost, but a shot to the head would kill it from the concussion alone, even without penetration.

Fang Zhen knew all this but didn't say a word.

He didn't know Xiaojun well, and Fang Zhen wasn't in the habit of lecturing strangers.

He just listened to what Xiaojun had to say.

"If you want to keep testing, you should try the Blue Elf and the G5. A lot of people like those two," Xiaojun recommended.

Fang Zhen nodded.

He picked up a Blue Elf arrowhead and continued his test.

The Blue Elf arrowhead was long and slender. The G5 arrowhead, on the other hand, was a three-dimensional, three-bladed triangle, forming a sharp point. Each of the three blades had a triangular section cut out of it.

It was clear at a glance that the G5 would create a devastatingly messy wound channel upon impact.

Fang Zhen tested the Blue Elf and the G5 in succession.

The Blue Elf's performance was surprisingly good.

When fired from the compound crossbow, the arrow tipped with a Blue Elf pierced the reinforced plastic Anti-Riot Shield, with eighty percent of the shaft passing through.

The G5's performance was even more astounding.

The entire G5 arrow passed straight through the Anti-Riot Shield—a complete penetration.

Fang Zhen was pleasantly surprised.

'This thing's a real dark horse. How is its penetration so strong?' he thought.

Then again, the Anti-Riot Shield had already been shot several times. The structural damage might have changed how it distributed the force of impact, making subsequent shots penetrate more easily.

Fang Zhen walked over to inspect the spent crossbow arrows.

The Armor-Piercing Arrowhead was fine, just a bit worn. The Meteor Hammer Arrowhead had been completely knocked off, leaving a bare shaft. The Blue Elf's arrowhead was wrecked—the barbs on both sides were shattered and the tip was slightly deformed.

Two of the G5's three blades were shattered, leaving only a single, damaged one.

In terms of destructive power, the G5 was number one, followed by the Blue Elf. The Armor-Piercing Arrowhead was slightly less effective than the Blue Elf but came close. The Meteor Hammer didn't penetrate, but it left a deep crater and warped the Anti-Riot Shield, so it couldn't be called weak.

"Sir, those few arrows you just fired... that's over five hundred yuan gone," Xiaojun said from behind, wincing as if he'd spent the money himself.

Fang Zhen just chuckled.

There's an old saying: "A single cannon shot costs a fortune in gold."

He wasn't even using a cannon, just testing a compound crossbow, and in less than eight minutes, five hundred yuan had vanished.

Equipment really was a money pit. And this was just for cold weapons. He couldn't imagine how expensive it would get with firearms or even more advanced weaponry.

'Arms dealers sure make a killing,' he thought.

"Alright, I'm pretty satisfied with these arrowheads," Fang Zhen said. "If your shop has more in stock, get me some extras next time—more of the Blue Elf, G5, and Meteor Hammer types."

"Got it."

For the next little while, operating on the classic Xia Country logic of 'Well, since I'm already here…,' Fang Zhen tested out several other types of arrows.

One of the more interesting types was the whistling arrow. Its arrowhead was hollow and had two small holes, causing it to produce a sharp shriek as it flew through the air.

Fang Zhen fired one at the Anti-Riot Shield target. The whistling arrow had virtually no power; it didn't even scratch the shield, while its own tip was completely flattened by the impact.

But that was to be expected. This type of arrowhead wasn't designed for combat.

When Fang Zhen was a boy, his grandfather used to listen to old storytelling programs. They often mentioned armies and outlaws firing a 'whistling arrow' to send signals. Back then, being so young, he had no idea what that was and just imagined it was an arrow with a whistle tied to the tip.

Now he'd seen one for himself. The so-called whistling arrow was just an arrow fitted with one of these hollowed-out heads.

It felt like he'd finally solved a childhood mystery.

It was practical, too. With a prearranged signal, he could use it to communicate, saving him the trouble of buying a flare gun.

After completing the tests, Fang Zhen had a much clearer picture.

The Armor-Piercing Arrowhead and the G5 could likely pierce the defense of a Black Armored Fierce Ghost. And even if the Meteor Hammer couldn't penetrate, a well-aimed shot could kill the fierce ghost with concussive force alone.

He was very satisfied.

Seeing that the test was over, Xiaojun packed up the remaining special arrowheads.

"How much is it? Let's see the bill," Fang Zhen asked.

"I printed the invoice before I came. Sir, take a look," Xiaojun said, pulling a sheet of paper from the bag he was carrying.

Fang Zhen took a look.

The deluxe N2 compound crossbow was 10,800. The delivery fee was 3,000. The special arrowheads were pricey: 28 in total, with the cheaper ones costing 70 and the expensive ones 200. The total for the arrowheads came to 3,700, but Weilong Outdoor had noted a discount if he bought them all, making the final price 3,300.

Three second-hand Anti-Riot Shields, 200 yuan apiece, which could be purchased individually.

Fang Zhen didn't hesitate and decided to keep everything.

The grand total was 17,700 yuan.

Xiaojun proved to be an honest young man. He didn't handle the payment himself, instead asking Fang Zhen to transfer the money directly to Weilong Outdoor.

It made no difference to Fang Zhen, so he sent the 17,700 yuan to Weilong Outdoor via a WeChat transfer.

On WeChat.

Weilong Outdoor: "My friend, I can tell you're not short on cash. And you really love this kind of cold steel."

"Since we know each other now, just hit me up on WeChat or give me a call if you need anything in the future. I can even help you get my hands on some stuff that's... a little harder to find."

"You're my favorite kind of customer: you pay fast, no fuss, and you're reliable."

Fang Zhen smiled.

"Sure, let me know if you get any new products in," Fang Zhen replied.

"You got it. Payment received. And even though I don't have a physical shop, I do offer repairs. If you need replacement parts or anything, just look for me," Weilong Outdoor replied.

"OK," Fang Zhen replied, ending the conversation.

With the items collected and the money paid, the equipment purchase was complete.

Xiaojun and Fang Zhen left the factory, carrying the compound crossbow and special arrowheads.

After locking the factory door, Fang Zhen went to his car and moved the other two Anti-Riot Shields from the Nissan into the trunk of his rental.

Xiaojun didn't seem to feel like talking anymore. He just gave Fang Zhen a nod, honked his horn twice in farewell, and drove off.

'Driving while exhausted is a bad idea. He should get at least a full day's sleep,' Fang Zhen thought, shaking his head.

He got into his car and headed home with all his new gear.

A little over half an hour later, Fang Zhen was home.

He brought the compound crossbow, special arrowheads, and Anti-Riot Shields inside.

Not only that, but he had also bought twenty boxes of potassium permanganate tablets.

He had actually wanted to buy more, but he'd bought out the entire stock at the pharmacy downstairs.

Fang Zhen figured that was enough for now and didn't bother using a local delivery app on his phone to order more.

His equipment at home was all in order, and his Jue Ying motorcycle had a full tank of gas. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Once all his preparations were complete, Fang Zhen went into his computer room.

He launched the "Dungeon Life" game, entered the main menu, and found the Combat Servant option.

It still listed the same three Combat Servants he had seen before.

Jilenna, the Highland Barbarian Armed Knight.

Pi Lian, the Dungeon Assassin.

Hans, the Combat Servant.

Fang Zhen reviewed the rules for summoning a Combat Servant.

When he recruited a Combat Servant, the required Merit Points for hiring them would be deducted immediately.

If he had insufficient Merit Points, the transaction would fail.

Starting from the moment Fang Zhen hit the confirm button, the hired Combat Servant would wait at the Light Gate of the dungeon for a duration of 24 "Blue Star" hours.

Even if the employer failed to enter the game within those 24 hours, the Combat Servant would remain at their post by the Light Gate. The contract would be considered fulfilled after a full 24 hours, and the deducted Merit Points would not be refunded.

If the employer entered the dungeon within that 24-hour window, they would be able to communicate with their Combat Servant.

For the most part, the employer could request the Combat Servant to assist in battle within reasonable limits, and the servant would usually agree.

However, they might not agree to other, stranger requests. In fact, some requests might even anger them or cause them to slack off on the job.

Fang Zhen read the rules and understood immediately.

Simply put, you could order your hired Combat Servant into battle, but asking to sleep with them would definitely fall under the category of a "strange request."

Of course, one might encounter a more open-minded partner who wouldn't mind, but that would be a matter of their personal lifestyle and was neither encouraged nor protected by the game's system.

Fang Zhen didn't care about that rule.

He wasn't that kind of weirdo anyway.

'Besides, it's not even a good deal,' he thought. 'Merit Points are way more valuable than real-world cash.'

Now that he understood the rules, Fang Zhen had already made his choice.

It was...

Jilenna.