Li Qingyu returned to the shelter with two lasguns. Opening a small bottle of holy oil, he bowed his head and kissed the receiver of each rifle.
"Oh, my darlings, we'll have a wonderful night. Come to daddy, I'll give you an oil massage."
He poured the oil into his palms and began to rub the weapons.
After a whole night of fussing and whispering, he decided he had sufficiently appeased the Machine Spirits in both rifles. Calling for Little Joel, he solemnly handed him one of the lasguns.
After all, Joel was from the PDF, his military training was a cut above the rest. In his hands, the lasgun would bring maximum benefit.
Li Qingyu kept the second lasgun for himself as a personal weapon.
Upon receiving the rifle, Little Joel was overcome with indescribable delight.
Before graduating from training, he had taken a course on laser weapons, but in service, he had only been issued a primitive stub carbine.
What could be done – the planet was too peaceful, and the PDF had no need for lasguns. Stubbers were enough to chase rebels.
In the camp, Joel had fired the lasgun a lot. The main impression that remained was the weapon's lightness and almost complete lack of recoil.
Of course, a lasgun wasn't entirely without recoil: when the beam formed in the barrel, the high temperature expanded the air, creating a slight jolt. But compared to the roar and kick of a stubber, this could be neglected.
And also – the "aim and shoot" feature.
When firing a stubber, the bullet needs time to reach the target. Whether you hit or not is a big question, especially if the target is moving.
The laser beam travels almost at the speed of light. The moment you pull the trigger, the target is hit. No bullet flight – the accuracy was incredible.
Little Joel could only dream that, not having received a lasgun in the PDF, he would acquire one here – from Commander Li!
Seeing Joel's joy, Li Qingyu smiled and patted him on the shoulder:
"I've assigned you the recruits. Is there any result? If you have to lead them into battle, will they be useful?"
Joel slung the lasgun over his back and, after thinking, replied:
"Knife, old man Key with his son, and three defectors from the rebels are ready for battle. Knife has backbone – he's killed and isn't afraid to shoot people. Key and his son are trying, they've passed combat shooting and are barely keeping up with the PDF recruits. There's nothing to teach the rebels, let them just get used to the new weapons. But the rest have only been with us for a couple of days. Not to mention discipline or shooting – they can't even handle the physical training."
Li Qingyu clicked his tongue and ordered:
"Then it's like this, Joel. Let the rookies rest for now. Transfer them to full barracks status. Focus on shooting and discipline, leave the physical training for now. What do you think, if we really push them, how long will it take to make them fighters?"
Doubt appeared on Joel's face.
"Commander, it will take at least half a month. Soldiers squeezed out in a hurry don't have much quality. I can guarantee one thing – they'll shoot in the direction of the enemy and won't shoot us."
"That's enough. Get to work. Squeeze the maximum out of them."
Having assigned Joel the training, Li Qingyu called for Knife.
"Knife, you have connections. How many fighters does the Fertilizer gang have now?"
Knife froze, but quickly realized – the boss was planning something against the Fertilizers.
Although he had left his past behind, the topic was slippery. He didn't try to evade and blurted out:
"Boss, last time the Fertilizers clashed with the Chemists and lost a lot of people. They say boss Cyberglaz has about twenty guards left with autoguns. Gun-boys with scrap firearms – over a hundred. But the cutters, you can't count them. Give them a rusty cleaver and a piece of tin instead of armor – and you've got a fighter. Losses are replenished instantly. Usually, gangs don't keep many cutters in peacetime, they recruit meat before a war. If you attack suddenly, they have three to four hundred fighters. But if they get wind of it and announce recruitment – the number will exceed a thousand."
Li Qingyu sucked air through his teeth. The odds were insane: he had sixteen fighters. Fighting against a thousand? Madness.
Even with the best weapons, each would have to take down fifty enemies. Impossible!
Li Qingyu decided to call for reinforcements.
Sending Knife to train with Joel, he returned to the shelter, turned on the vox, and switched to the "Unhappy Lovers" frequency, calling Lieutenant Rudouson.
"Who is it? Who do you need?" came the voice of a comms officer from headquarters. Rudouson was an important figure now, he had his own comms node.
"Corporal Li Qingyu. Carrying out a special assignment from Lieutenant Rudouson. I need to speak with you personally."
The comms officer grumbled, "Wait." A few minutes later, the lieutenant's voice cut through the air:
"Rudouson speaking. What happened?"
Li Qingyu grabbed the microphone and yelled:
"Mr. Combat! I humbly request tactical guidance!"
Silence hung in the air. Then Rudouson stammered:
"Damn, brother, don't scare me like that. Speak normally, alright?"
Li Qingyu chuckled:
"I'm talking about the repair brigade. Remember the late Winchester? He abandoned the 'Chimera' near the rebel camp. I want to fix it and bring it to myself."
Silence. Rudouson was in shock.
How insane was this friend of his? A common scumbag from the Lower Hive was aiming for a 'Chimera' APC? Was he planning to declare independence and rule his pile of garbage?
"Alright. Arrange a time with the rebels. I'll send Sergeant Nie Guojin with a technical vehicle."
Rudouson waved his hand. If you're going to go, go all out. Boldness takes the city.
He was already neck-deep in blood – conspiracy with criminals and murder of comrades. Giving tech to bandits was a trifle.
Anyway, if it came out, the tribunal would only shoot him once.
Hailing from the Upper Hive, this cunning fox had tasted power. For his career and future, he was ready for anything.
Rudouson's entire life was now a walk on thin ice...