Chapter 50: The Astonishing Appearance of Cheat-Level Bulletproof Gear

Equipping and using items had become much more convenient, but with the limited slots available on the equipment panel, configuring the most suitable set for oneself had turned into a matter requiring careful consideration.

But that was a concern for the future.

For now, Xing Xiaolong had only a handful of pieces. Forget about assembling the optimal set—he could barely scrape together a full set at all.

As for his primary weapon, there was no real choice. He only had the most formidable weapon available at the moment—

The AWM “Outlaw”.

The equipment slot for it was on his right shoulder. Once equipped, it appeared on the character panel in a classic gun-slung-on-the-back pose—a rather fitting look. Xing Xiaolong reached over his shoulder and, though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the stock of the AWM Outlaw.

What a marvel!

There were four sidearms to choose from—three pistols and a double-barreled short hunting shotgun. Only one of the pistols had a custom skin, so naturally, he chose that one.

He equipped the Desert Eagle “Sentinel” at his right hip, as shown on the character panel.

There was still the tiny cop357, barely the size of a palm. Xing Xiaolong also equipped it, placing it in the first slot of his primary backpack.

The primary backpack had five adjustable slots, and he chose to secure the cop357 on the outside of his right thigh.

Its small size and concealability made it perfect for ambushes and taking sneaky shots. It could even save his life in a pinch, and occupying only a single slot, it certainly wasn’t going to waste.

He had two melee weapons, but both were identical.

No real choice there either!

He slotted in a single Jungle Dagger, equipped on the outside of his left thigh, in symmetry with the cop357.

He hadn’t drawn any throwable weapons from his loot, but fortunately, although the in-game shop was currently sparse—offering little more than a handful of pitiful pistols—it did have a decent selection of grenades, body armor, helmets, night vision goggles, and other gear.

Why the shop lacked rifles, submachine guns, and other custom-skinned firearms was a mystery Xing Xiaolong couldn’t solve. The CF shop was full of oddities, and he couldn’t be bothered to dig deeper.

Opening the shop and navigating to the gear section, he bought a high-explosive shrapnel grenade, a smoke grenade, and a flashbang—just enough for a full set.

The classic trio for both offense and defense!

The grenades were cheap—only the most basic models were available, their destructive power matching their real-life counterparts, and none yet had the extra effects or skins found on more advanced versions.

There was no limit to the number that could be purchased at once, even up to five hundred in a single transaction.

Sadly, any extras had to be stashed in storage.

Each of the three grenade types cost only 100 CF points; all together, just 300 CF points. It almost seemed generous.

Ammunition was also for sale in the shop, offering every standard type one could need.

No matter what model of firearm—be it rifle or pistol—the price per magazine was universally set at 30 CF points, again with no purchase limits.

As long as you had enough CF points, you could buy to your heart’s content.

The AWM Outlaw, however, was a restricted weapon, with custom-made ammunition. The shop didn’t stock that particular caliber; you could only get more by renewing your subscription.

Each renewal cost 2,000 CF points for thirty rounds.

What a rip-off!

There was no way to equip extra magazines for the main weapon; the thirty rounds came preloaded into two extended magazines, joined together by a Type 69 tactical clamp, already slotted into the sniper rifle’s mag well. No additional slot needed.

The Type 69 dual magazine clamp was standard issue, a common sight on the battlefield.

Disliking empty slots, Xing Xiaolong decided to fill all eight magazine slots with Desert Eagle mags.

At 28 rounds per magazine, the eight cost a total of 240 CF points.

The four remaining slots in his primary backpack, he filled with a large medkit, a small medical pack, and a pair of real-time translation earbuds.

For the last available slot, being too strapped for cash to buy anything else, he simply tossed in the double-barreled short hunting shotgun, purely as filler.

The remaining Saber-tooth Tiger outfit, requiring no extra weight, wasn’t as tough as the SWAT gear in terms of impact resistance, so he didn’t bother swapping it out.

The dog tag was made of an unusual material; engraved on it were the words “Red Star Street Sniper King”, serial number 001, rank: Private.

It looked rather amusing.

Plus, the description claimed it had miraculous effects—though none had triggered yet. Xing Xiaolong found himself growing fond of this little trinket and decided to wear it around his neck.

Finally, he equipped the bulletproof vest and helmet. Once donned, they could withstand 9mm rounds—and even offered protection against rifle grenades—matching the limits of real-world soft body armor.

Materials like Kevlar, nylon, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene were the mainstays of such vests.

This was equivalent to Level III body armor.

Above that—Levels IV, V, and VI—there were no longer pure soft-body variants, but rather composites of soft and hard materials.

Most came in vest form for greater coverage, or as full-protective suits with groin guards, always paired with several hard armor plates.

The most common setup was to add special steel, ceramic, or titanium plates to the chest and back.

Level IV and above could stop direct hits from rifles,

leaving at most a bit of bruising!

All those online rumors about body armor being useless against knives or bullets, or that a vest would break your bones even if it stopped a bullet—those only applied to soft armor below Level III.

Advances in ballistic protection have far outstripped your imagination.

For body armor rated Level III and above, those internet rumors could be summed up in one phrase:

“Come on then—let’s see you try!”

The only drawback of Level IV and higher armor was the weight; some sets tipped the scales at fifteen or twenty kilograms. But the protection was second to none.

They could shrug off any pistol or submachine gun, and even conventional assault rifles, carbines, or personal defense weapons couldn’t penetrate.

Even a 7.62 caliber precision sniper rifle wouldn’t get through from thirty meters.

And you wouldn’t suffer broken ribs or internal injuries—at most, just a patch of bruised skin.

The ballistic gear Xing Xiaolong had drawn from his loot box had no cosmetic enhancements; its protection matched that of a real-world Level III vest.

Its greatest advantage was its ability to become invisible as equipment.

That is, once slotted into the player’s panel, it became invisible to others, didn’t hinder movement, and still offered its protective benefits.

Even if the protection was halved, it was still at a game-breaking level.

“So, the body armor in the equipment panel doesn’t show up on your character, and it has two modes of wearing... doesn’t that mean...”

As Xing Xiaolong finished reading the description on his armor, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, as if he’d stumbled upon a monumental secret.