novelraw Chapter 618 - 421: Dozens of Times the Power!
Chapter 618 - 421: Dozens of Times the Power!
Aimed at the giant beast with the heavy crossbow bolt!
It has extremely strong penetration power, and if it manages to pierce the body of the giant beast, the arrowhead of the bolt will directly explode, causing internal damage to the beast!
This thing is practically a low-level armor-piercing shell!
"This blue-grade delayed explosive heavy crossbow bolt requires relatively expensive materials. Each one requires a piece of blue-grade iron and a piece of blue-grade saltpeter," Ma Hongwei explained. "The materials were provided by Li Wenxi."
Blue-grade iron and blue-grade saltpeter...
Speaking of blue-grade saltpeter, Xu Xin remembered he still had a piece.
Back then, he had used blue-grade saltpeter as an air conditioner.
He wondered how much blue-grade saltpeter Li Wenxi had now.
"Can only blue-grade be manufactured?" Xu Xin pondered for a moment, "Can’t green-grade be made?"
Perhaps green-grade could be mass-produced.
"Green-grade can also be made, but the penetration and explosion of the bolt itself are too weak to cause any substantial harm to the giant beasts," Ma Hongwei explained.
"But if used against ordinary mutated creatures, it would be too wasteful. These heavy crossbow bolts are consumables and cannot be recovered after explosion. It’s better to use explosive bolts or ordinary heavy crossbow bolts, the latter can be reused."
Xu Xin nodded.
He hadn’t really considered this point.
"So, this blue-grade delayed explosive heavy crossbow bolt is also a consumable?"
"Correct," Ma Hongwei nodded. "Every shot consumes a piece of blue-grade iron and a piece of blue-grade saltpeter."
Consumable, huh.
Without Li Wenxi, such things would never even be considered.
After all, in other regions, being able to boast about blue-grade iron armor was still a level of resource to show off.
Consuming a piece of blue-grade iron with every shot was quite exaggerated for them.
But for Area 188, these resources were no big deal.
After all, there was a little rich miner girl who could prospect, and she brought along an entire mining team.
Although mass production wasn’t likely, making a dozen or so as a weapon reserve was feasible.
With such a weapon, when facing giant beasts like the python, at least they wouldn’t have to be defenseless and could have some means to counterattack.
"This heavy crossbow bolt can’t be fired with an ordinary treehouse crossbow, can it?" Xu Xin asked.
Compared to the heavy crossbow bolts he crafted before, this bolt was much longer in length and significantly thicker, unable to be loaded into a normal crossbow.
"That’s right. It can only be loaded into a blue-grade metal super crossbow. Green-grade or wooden super crossbows won’t do because this bolt is very heavy, and the crossbow firing it requires tremendous firing power, so it must be a blue-grade metal super crossbow," Ma Hongwei said, leading Xu Xin to the window.
Xu Xin looked outside, where a super crossbow was mounted on the outer wall of the treehouse.
The treehouse super crossbow was a heavy crossbow Ma Hongwei had researched earlier. At that time, only wooden crossbows could be made, so even Xu Xin’s treehouse wasn’t equipped with such crossbows.
With a "click," Ma Hongwei loaded the unique heavy crossbow bolt into the super crossbow.
Each super crossbow can only be loaded with one bolt at a time.
"Brother Xin, I haven’t tested the power of the blue-grade crossbow bolt yet. Why don’t you give it a try?" Ma Hongwei patted the adjacent control panel.
One shot takes a piece of blue-grade iron and a piece of blue-grade saltpeter.
The experiment is undeniably expensive.
However, understanding the weapon’s power is essential.
"Alright." Xu Xin walked over to the control panel.
Ma Hongwei’s treehouse was equipped with nearly thirty crossbows, which was somewhat excessive.
The treehouse teemed with light dots, and he didn’t even know which crossbow he had just loaded.
It was Ma Hongwei who helped him select it.
Xu Xin glanced around.
Apart from some barren trees, nothing else was nearby.
Thus, he directly clicked on the spot not far away on the ground.
"Click!"
In an instant, a mechanical sound emanated from outside the treehouse wall, and the heavy crossbow bolt shot forward rapidly!
In the eyes of Xu Xin and Ma Hongwei, the two-meter-long bolt plunged into the ground as easily as cutting through tofu!
Only the tail of the bolt was left visible.
Such powerful penetration!
"Boom!"
Before Xu Xin could finish marveling, the bolt exploded rapidly below the ground!
A burst of thick smoke billowed up from the spot!
Simultaneously, dirt and stones flew everywhere!
Several trees nearby were affected by the explosion; the closest one was even uprooted and flipped from underground!
The smoke ascended, and at the same time, left a charred, large crater on the ground.
This crater was indeed large, nearly two meters in diameter, and its depth exceeded two meters.
Moreover, cracks appeared on the surrounding ground, extending several meters outward!
One heavy crossbow bolt created such a massive crater!
Witnessing this scene, Xu Xin even felt like it was blasting a mine.
Burying a bomb underground and detonating it to blast open the ground was a mining operation!
Unexpectedly, the explosion of the heavy crossbow bolt was so strong!
It’s several times stronger than an explosive bolt!
"... How much explosive did you use?" Xu Xin looked at the large crater on the ground and turned to Ma Hongwei.
"Haha, I knew the power would be immense," Ma Hongwei, delighted by the success of his weapon, immediately became excited. "I used quite a bit, Brother Xin, apart from one piece of blue-grade saltpeter, I also added nine pieces of green-grade saltpeter and ten kilograms of vine sap!"
Wow, that is a lot!
No wonder the power was so great.
Even without blue-grade saltpeter, that’s already ten times the amount of a normal explosive bolt!
And with blue-grade saltpeter...
The power is multiplied dozens of times!
One heavy crossbow bolt contains explosives equivalent to a large pack of dynamite!
No wonder it directly blasted a big pit in the ground.
If it pierces the Lake Giant Python’s body...
Maybe, it could really cause serious internal injuries!
If it directly hits a weak spot...
Of course, under normal circumstances, unless it’s a real crisis moment, they should refrain from attacking that hundred-meter-long giant python.
After all, its weak spots might not necessarily be the same as those of ordinary pythons.
Moreover, Ma Hongwei and Lou Fei’Er have the ability to heal injuries, and the giant python might have it as well.
The possibility of killing it in one strike is too low, while the chance of angering it and causing it to rampage is too high.
Against the giant python, heavy crossbow bolts can only be used as a defensive measure.
However, if faced with other giant beasts attacking the treehouse, like the Blood Pattern Giant he had seen before in the Hilly Resource Zone, the heavy crossbow bolt’s effectiveness would be perfectly demonstrated!
The level of the Blood Pattern Giant is much lower compared to the evolved giant python.
In any case, Xu Xin is no longer afraid of its attacks.
"Excellent!" Xu Xin patted Ma Hongwei’s shoulder, "In a few days when the materials are sufficient, we will equip everyone with your heavy crossbows, and each will make a dozen or so as backup."
"Alright, Brother Xin, that’s all we have for now." Ma Hongwei was very pleased to have his research confirmed, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Indeed, the drawback of these weapons is that they consume too much material."
He had been focusing on increasing the power, aiming to blow up the giant python that had left him with a shadow, without much consideration for the material costs.
"Great power can disguise all other shortcomings. We will have the materials." Xu Xin looked at the big pit blasted outside and smiled.
The cost is indeed quite significant, and only explorers like them can afford to make this heavy crossbow.
Even they have to temporarily wait it out.
Currently, the advanced heavy crossbows Ma Hongwei can produce are made of metal, and the crossbow bolts require metal and blue-grade saltpeter.
And explorers currently lack iron blocks.
Equipping everyone with purple-grade steel armor and providing every recruit with a blue-grade iron axe has consumed too many blue-grade and above iron blocks.
Materials above the blue grade are insufficient.
Although they can make some green-grade metal heavy crossbows, the improvement is limited, so it’s better to wait until the metal is sufficient to directly upgrade in one step.
Anyway, the current treehouses are well-equipped with crossbows and explosive bolts, which are already adequate.
At this moment, Xu Xin’s watch beeped twice.
Messages from Lou Fei’Er and Zeng Tao.
Lou Fei’Er: "Was that explosion sound your doing just now?"
Zeng Tao: "What’s going on?! Is there any danger?!"
Qin Fu didn’t send a message.
His treehouse is not far from Ma Hongwei’s, and his ability can sense this side.
Xu Xin replied to Lou Fei’Er: "Don’t worry, it was me."
Then replied to Zeng Tao: "I’m testing a new heavy crossbow, you’ll have one in the future."
Zeng Tao replied instantly: "Testing a new heavy crossbow? As long as it’s not enemies, it’s fine. Speaking of which, what about my weapon? Aren’t you supposed to make one for me?"
She’s always been thinking about her purple-grade steel giant blade, and if she weren’t so weak now, she might have come out directly to pester Xu Xin.
As Xu Xin bid farewell to Ma Hongwei and descended from the tree house, he replied to Zeng Tao.
"Materials are temporarily insufficient, maybe it’ll take a few days."
As it stands, the heavy crossbow should be a higher priority, so Zeng Tao’s giant blade should be set aside for now.
"You! You... you promised me! You wouldn’t go back on your words, right?" Zeng Tao expressed her great concern in her message.
She’s completely under control now, and if they don’t make the weapon for her...
She wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Ugh, it’s so difficult...
"Alright." Xu Xin directly opened his watch and transferred the purple-grade steel knife from his backpack, "Recently, iron blocks and steel blocks are needed for everyone’s heavy crossbows. Use this knife for now these days."
The other party accepted the trade almost instantly, fearing Xu Xin would retract it.
"Right, okay, this knife is pretty good too, I’ll use it for now!" Zeng Tao was easily satisfied and didn’t say more, likely going off to admire that purple-grade steel knife.
Xu Xin didn’t return to his treehouse but walked over to the newly planted treehouse by Qin Fu.
The soil around the treehouse had mostly been replaced with blue-grade, and healthy seedlings were growing on it.
He just arrived, still in his weak phase, but couldn’t wait to start planting.
"Hey, boss, you’re here?" Qin Fu had long known Xu Xin was coming, but only greeted him as he arrived, "What was that just now? The explosive power is impressive."
Speaking, he directly controlled the roots to pull Xu Xin into the treehouse.
The treehouse had already been tidied up to look similar to its original state.
Xu Xin explained slightly, and then took out two vials of potion from his backpack.
Strength potions.
"What are these...?" Qin Fu took them and, upon seeing the explanation, raised an eyebrow, "Strength potions? Is this your ability?"
He had prepared spiritual potions for them.
But spiritual potions don’t enhance Qin Fu as much, so Xu Xin planned to first use them to improve Zeng Tao and Lou Fei’Er by addressing their weaknesses.
As for Qin Fu, he intended to enhance his strength first.
Pulling a bow requires strength as well.
He himself needed combat power too.
Once materials are enough in the future, he will boost Qin Fu’s spiritual power to improve his abilities.
After Xu Xin explained briefly, Qin Fu understood and immediately downed a vial.
"How is it?" Xu Xin asked.
Qin Fu clenched his fist, pulled out his big bow and an arrow, and shot it into the distance, somewhat surprised: "The strength has increased a lot, I can shoot further now."
Saying that, he glanced at the second vial on the table and picked it up.
Seeing Xu Xin didn’t stop him, he downed this one as well.