Chapter 51: Securing the Mauser 98K

"Come on, that's already quite a lot. At least let me make a small profit, right?"

"Humph, easy to say, but who knows where your goods came from? What if there's trouble? I'm the one taking the risk, and your price isn't cheap either. It's not worth it."

With that, Su Yu pretended to leave, and the other man hurriedly pulled him back.

Since they dealt in firearms, they were definitely taking advantage of the situation. A brand-new one only cost five hundred, so how much did you expect them to pay for a used one? These people were certainly making a profit, and a hefty one at that.

"Don't, don't, don't! How about this? I won't give you a discount on the rifle, but I can give you a few extra bullets. How does that sound? It's your first time touching a gun, brother, isn't it? You've got to practice. If you don't have enough bullets, you won't even finish your training."

"Let's do this: five hundred yuan for a ninety-percent-new Mauser rifle, and I'll throw in four boxes of ammunition. Deal?"

Four boxes of ammunition? One hundred and twenty rounds. If bullets cost ten cents each, a box of thirty would only be three yuan. But stores definitely sold them for more, probably five yuan. Four boxes would be twenty yuan at most. If they were acquired secondhand, a box would cost three yuan at most, making the total just over a dozen yuan.

After all, back in those days, many people still kept weapons and ammunition left over from the wartime era; having a few boxes of bullets stored at home was quite normal.

"You're still not showing enough sincerity. Your four boxes of ammunition are only worth about twenty yuan, right? For five hundred yuan, I could easily buy a brand-new one."

"Oh, come on, brother, stop joking. How long has this rifle been out of production? Twenty-six years! The so-called 'brand-new' ones are just weapons that haven't been used by anyone yet; they're still old stock. This one of mine is ninety-percent-new, practically no different from a brand-new one. You can take it apart and check the firing pin and bolt yourself—the maintenance is top-notch. Look, five boxes. I can't go any higher."

Su Yu thought about it. In truth, ninety-percent-new was good enough. Just as the other man said, these were clearance-sale firearms that had long been out of production. You couldn't expect them to be pristine—just consider the fact that they had been sitting in storage for twenty-six years.

If a gun had been used by someone, at least it had been maintained and cared for. A truly "brand-new" one might not even be as well-preserved as a ninety-percent-new one.

"I need to inspect the rifle first. That's fine by you, right?"

"Oh, of course, of course. There's a path just east of here. I'll go get the rifle, and we'll meet over there in a bit. Sound good?"

"Alright, make it quick."

Su Yu wasn't afraid of a double-cross; he thrived on the thrill. Besides, he had just unlocked his combat and martial arts skills, which he could upgrade at any moment. He was practically hoping someone would try to cross him so he could pull off a dramatic counter-kill.

Before long, the man returned accompanied by a bulky fellow who had a cloth-wrapped rifle slung across his back.

"Take a look first."

Su Yu reached out. Liuzi gave a subtle nod, and the big man unslung the rifle and handed it to Su Yu.

Standing right there on the street, Liuzi didn't seem worried that they would grab the gun and pull anything.

Unwrapping the cloth, a rifle was revealed. True to his word, it was a Mauser rifle. In terms of condition, it was hardly any different from a brand-new one; unless you looked closely, you could barely tell. There were only a few minor scratches on the stock, almost invisible at a glance.

With a few swift motions, Su Yu field-stripped the rifle and inspected it closely. The firing pin was intact, the rifling was in perfect condition, and the bolt clicked crisply with zero issues. It looked like it had indeed been acquired from the children of high-ranking cadres living in the walled compounds.

If it had been picked up from a hunter, it wouldn't have been preserved this well. You could even smell a faint scent of gun oil on the parts, showing that it had been regularly maintained, while the lack of heavy gunpowder residue proved it had rarely been fired.

"Not bad. What about the ammunition?"

Liuzi took a satchel and pulled out five boxes of ammunition—one hundred and fifty rounds in total. Opening the paper boxes revealed bright, gleaming, golden bullets that shone dazzlingly.

"Mm, good. Let's find a spot to test the accuracy."

"You got it. I'll lead the way, just follow behind."

With that, Liuzi led the burly man toward the eastern path. There was a grove of trees not far away, just a few minutes' ride by bicycle.

Su Yu followed leisurely on his bicycle, and within a short while, the three of them arrived. Su Yu held out his hand, signaling for the rifle.

Liuzi pulled out five cartridges, loaded them all at once, worked the bolt, and handed the rifle to Su Yu.

"Brother, have you ever fired a gun before? Be careful, don't let it go off by accident."

"Ha, don't worry. I'm just picking a target, no rush."

As they spoke, the group began scanning the grove for a target. Within a few minutes, they spotted a woodpecker.

Su Yu raised the Mauser rifle, took aim, and squeezed the trigger.

*Bang.*

A direct hit, though the bird didn't die instantly. It fell to the ground, mortally wounded and thrashing, but it was clear it had only been grazed rather than hit squarely.

"Ahem... your marksmanship still needs some work, brother."

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to dignify that with a response. He looked into the distance, toward a large poplar tree about a hundred meters away, took aim, and fired.

*Bang.*

This time he hit the mark, though not quite where he had aimed—he had aimed for the center of the trunk, but the bullet struck the upper half, sending a shower of leaves fluttering down.

"Fine marksmanship, brother! Looks a bit rusty with this rifle, not quite used to it yet, eh? Getting your feel back now?"

What could Su Yu say? Was he supposed to admit that he had aimed for the middle of the tree trunk and ended up hitting the upper half?

"Ahem... pretty good. The gun itself is fine. Let me count the ammunition, and then we can finalize the deal."

This place wasn't far from the city center, which was why Su Yu had been willing to follow them here. Although he could max out his combat skills at any second, if there were too many people, he would still be in danger—especially since they were arms dealers. If two guns were suddenly pointed at him, even he wouldn't dare act rashly.

On the other hand, the dealers were also afraid Su Yu might pull a fast one, which was why only two of them had come. Still, they seemed reasonably trustworthy and didn't attempt a double-cross. To put it bluntly, it wasn't worth risking their lives over a few hundred yuan. What if they ran into some reckless hothead willing to fight to the death? Would you kill him or not? Why risk your life for a few hundred bucks?

"Don't worry, brother. In our line of work, we deal in good faith. Here are the five boxes of ammunition—check them over. The five rounds we just fired are on the house."

Liuzi handed over the five boxes. Su Yu opened them one by one, tipped out a few rounds to inspect them, and once satisfied, he reached into his coat, counted out five hundred yuan, and handed the money over.

"Goods and cash exchanged. By the way, does big brother know where I can buy a secondhand bicycle?"

Liuzi had caught a glimpse of the cash Su Yu pulled out earlier. With a quick glance, he could tell there was at least seven hundred yuan there. After giving him five hundred, the guy still had at least two hundred left.

"A secondhand bicycle? Brother, why don't you just buy a new one?"

"A new one only costs around two hundred, and it's not like you're short on cash."

"Ahem... I don't have a bicycle ration coupon. Besides, even if you buy a coupon, the cheapest one goes for at least fifty yuan. Not worth it."

That was the truth. Fifty yuan for a single bicycle coupon was definitely a friendly rate; people could easily sell them for eighty and still find buyers.

"Secondhand, huh? Let me think... Ah, right, there's a bicycle repair shop on Huamo Street. Old man Li sells them there, and he can even issue you a receipt so you can go get the frame registration stamped. It's completely reliable. You should go check him out."

Bicycle repair shops nowadays were all state-run, usually affiliated with the neighborhood committee. For secondhand bicycles, they could issue official paperwork and transfer the ownership into your name.

"Alright, I'll go take a look. Hey, mind letting me use that cloth you wrapped the rifle in?"

Liuzi wasn't stingy and handed it right over.

Su Yu wrapped up the rifle securely, slung it across his back, slipped the boxes of ammunition into his coat pockets, and rode off on his bicycle.