CHAPTER 335: CHAPTER 152: ONE MONTH, TWENTY THOUSAND GUNS

Whether the missile can explode is beyond Chen Jian’s control, but the equipment for He Shuo’s water pipe gun workshop has certainly started production.

According to Fu Xi’s projections, with a daily requirement of producing 500 guns and subsequent expansion needs, all equipment can complete production within 36 hours.

Astonishingly fast, yet reasonable.

The equipment needed for this thing isn’t complex at all; the most essential are simply a stamping machine and dozens of molds, with small drilling, grinding, and cutting equipment also easy to acquire. Even the cutting machine counts as crucial equipment.

What? You talk about welding?

Weld my ass.

The Sten submachine gun at least has a welded stock, but according to He Shuo’s design, the structure of this rifle, known as "Model 2375," or simply Model 75, doesn’t include anything like a stock at all.

After all, given the skills of the wasteland civilians, shoulder shooting doesn’t exist at all.

How does the AK fire?

It’s not held; it’s pressed, my dude!

Therefore, based on this design, sights and scopes are unnecessary.

As for Picatinny rails, grips, hand guards, muzzle brakes...

What are you talking about?

Don’t understand.

In the original design, He Shuo didn’t even want a handguard.

His idea was simply to make the side magazine fixed in two detachable parts, referring to the CZ-75 design, directly letting people grip the magazine and shoot.

This way, if the barrel is damaged, replacing it becomes easier.

However, Fu Xi ultimately vetoed his idea because making handguards isn’t difficult, and there’s really no need to save that bit of labor time.

In short, under He Shuo’s extremely simple and brutal guidance, the first prototype of the Model 75 short assault rifle successfully came off the line by the morning of Chen Jian’s second day back at Base 011.

Chen Jian took the completely non-gun-like gun from the swarm robots, loading it bullet by bullet from top to bottom into the fixed magazine, or magazine compartment, with 30 rounds.

"....Can we get a long clip for loading? Just like the Garland, it’ll ring ’ding’ after loading, which gives a bit of ceremonial feel."

"Enough with that."

Beside him, Lei Jie looked at the gun in Chen Jian’s hand with disdain and said:

"You still want a ’ding’? It’s not even certain whether it’ll go ’bang’ later."

"You better find a robot to test the gun; I’m really afraid it’ll explode and blow you up."

"Chief, according to the simulation results, the chance of this Model 75 rifle exploding is less than one in a thousand, quite reliable."

Fu Xi’s voice sounded in his ear.

"One in a thousand, and reliable?"

Lei Jie was dumbfounded.

"I can’t imagine any gun that might explode one bullet in a thousand --- anyway, I won’t use it."

"There are plenty of people who will."

Chen Jian snorted and said:

"No matter how crappy, it’s still a semi-automatic rifle."

"Haven’t you noticed? In this world, semi-automatic rifles are rare animals."

"This thing directly beats those flintlock guns the ordinary Church Protection Army uses, and the best part is, according to the metal material trading prices in Jinling City, this gun costs roughly just 3 grams of gold, equivalent to a normal person’s three days’ food money."

"Overall, it’s much cheaper than the Sten, right?"

"That’s because you haven’t calculated machine work hours and labor costs..."

Lei Jie said helplessly:

"If you really factor in everything, it’s actually not that cheap."

"If you convert food prices into RMB...it’s worth almost two hundred bucks?"

Saying this, Lei Jie couldn’t help but laugh himself.

A two-hundred buck gun, just a night’s feast money.

It’s hard to imagine if this thing appeared in his era and was freely sold without restrictions, what would happen.

"Two hundred it is then."

Chen Jian weighed the gun in his hand said:

"The heft isn’t bad---- let’s go out and try it?"

"Shoot, shoot, then wear the armor."

"I know, I’m not stupid."

Chen Jian obediently donned the exoskeleton and, with a few people, took the gun went outside the fortifications.

He inhaled deeply, gripping the handguard with his left hand, gripping the handle with his right, and aimed in a very standard hip-fire stance at a distant tree trunk.

Then, the trigger was pulled.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang----"

The bullets flew out of the barrel, most of which precisely hit the tree trunk 30 meters away.

"Holy shit!?"

"This thing is pretty accurate!"

Chen Jian exclaimed in surprise and continued to empty all the bullets in the magazine compartment.

Smoke rose slowly from the muzzle, and after confirming there were no bullets left in the chamber by pulling the bolt and pulling the trigger, Chen Jian used a tactical flashlight to check the barrel’s interior.

"Rifling wear is almost invisible; powder residue is relatively minor; if it really comes to it, a water wash will do."

"This thing...is really a wasteland killer."

As he spoke, he walked towards the distant tree trunk.

Bullets deeply embedded, penetration power was pretty good.

"Power seems approximately equivalent to...a Galil? Can it reach that?"

"Lacking."

Lei Jie pursed his lips, reluctantly admitting:

"It’s enough, though, if facing small monsters within two or three meters, like the fungus people we encountered before, or that big mantis we saw for the first time, likely can wipe them out in a burst."

"Hey, although I dislike it, I still vote in favor."

"Technical pedantry is unnecessary, practical use is king...."

His words almost made Chen Jian burst into laughter.

"You’re in favor, that’s good, unanimous approval."

"Prepare for mass production; our goal is to make at least twenty thousand guns within a month."

"Twenty thousand?"

Ji Xing, who had been silently following the fun, couldn’t help but speak up.

What’s the concept of twenty thousand?

That’s twenty thousand semi-automatic rifles!

The Mechanical God Sect had been tinkering for so long, only managing to produce one "Conqueror" multi-barreled gun, heavy, cumbersome, and with frightfully low output.

But now...

Though she’d hardly left Base 011, the Huaxia Army’s new gun was designed.

Then, the gun was made overnight after the design was completed.

Right after that, within a month, there would be twenty thousand guns made...

She couldn’t comprehend what kind of efficiency this was.

Although she roughly knew what lathes, workshops, and assembly lines were, she couldn’t help but feel amazed.

Seeing Chen Jian turn back to look at her, she coughed and quickly explained:

"I just think it’s too surprising.... Just assembling isn’t easy..."

"Aren’t we having people come in soon?"

Chen Jian scratched his head, glanced at the refugees awakened by gunfire, peeking from wooden huts and shacks to witness the scene, then said:

"You reminded me, need to train them beforehand."

"Yeah, there won’t be many urgent matters for the next couple of days; this glorious and arduous task is handed over to you!"

"Ah? Me?"

Ji Xing was stunned.

She looks at the gun Chen Jian handed over, then at the refugees far away as bewildered as she, for the first time feeling that entering the industrial age, there truly is much to learn...