Wang Diren knew from Li Yunlong's expression that this fellow was harboring deadly weapons and his killing intent had naturally surfaced, especially after being provoked by Sun Desheng.
He must have learned about the military horses in Wanjiazhen from Ding Wei long ago; how could this old cat possibly sleep soundly with salted fish right beside his pillow?
Watching the soldiers practicing with drones carrying Mauser C96 pistols, Wang Diren got a new idea. If they could add silencers to the guns, it would truly be the ultimate gear for home and travel, murder and looting.
Remembering that the drones might be captured by the Japanese, Wang Diren had originally wanted to frighten Li Yunlong, but ended up frightening himself instead. Such a possibility was entirely real, which meant he needed to add a self-destruct mechanism. That made a trip back necessary, along with custom-ordering a few silencers.
"Here's the plan: training has stabilized over the last few days, so I'll make a trip back and prepare some new gear for you. Train hard these next couple of days, and no matter what operation you have planned, you must wait for me to return. I guarantee your job will be executed brilliantly," Wang Diren urged Li Yunlong with lingering concern.
"All right, all right, I'll definitely wait for you. You have five drones and I want all of them. Aside from those three master deities, the Special Operations Forces need one, and I want one for myself. Miscellaneous odds and ends, that makes a total of eight small gold bars this time, right?"
Li Yunlong was quite crafty; those gold teeth clearly looked large, actually weighing 35 to 40 grams. The small gold brick molds were very standard at just 30 to 31 grams, meaning those three gold teeth of his could actually be melted down into four small gold bars.
Wang Diren didn't call him out on it. Since Li Yunlong was willing to do this, it saved him the headache—carrying Japanese gold teeth around was just too awkward.
Having collected the small gold bars, he returned to the modern era. He quickly handed all the small gold bars to his older cousin so he could settle accounts with the contacts and at the same time secure the drone manufacturer.
The next day, his cousin Wang Zhongyi asked with a puzzled expression:
"The experts say the gold this time is antique, with a certain historical and cultural value. Based on that, they're willing to buy it back at 1.2 to 1.5 times the usual price."
"This project is a live-action CS camp. I suspect the investors might be some secluded ancient martial arts family that only cares about the intrinsic value of the gold and doesn't seem to care about historical and cultural value," Wang Diren made up a lie. Could there really be such good fortune? Li Yunlong's gold was actually worth more than his own? The most likely reason was that Li Yunlong's had been processed during the War of Resistance, while his own was modern.
"I'm not trying to pry into your source. What I care about is whether you have a channel for acquiring antiques? In times of peace, antiques; in times of chaos, gold. In this peaceful age, antiques are worth far more than gold. If you happen to pick up a bargain, you'll make a fortune," Wang Zhongyi said excitedly:
"If you have the chance, acquire some antiques—those are still very valuable. The shop our supermarket collaborates with is a chain institution, very well-known in the industry. They have their own channels and auction house, making it very convenient to offload items."
"I'll give it a try," Wang Diren was quite tempted.
Before long, the representatives from the drone manufacturer arrived as well. This time, the boss's daughter came personally, a young woman named Liu Caiwei. Nowadays, he could be considered a major client, so they couldn't afford not to take him seriously. After some conventional pleasantries, they got down to business.
"This set of equipment is custom-made for you, and others might not find it suitable. Following industry convention, we should first settle the matter of the deposit."
"Rest assured, we've already prepared for this, and my cousin will transfer it to you shortly. I do have one more request, though: can you add a self-destruct mechanism? You know, this equipment is also our secret weapon for remaining undefeated in industry competition, and it involves commercial secrets. It wouldn't do if our competitors got hold of it."
"Don't worry about that, this is a quasi-military version. It already has a self-destruct mechanism built-in. On the back of the control handle, in a very hidden spot, there's a self-destruct button. Even if this control handle is lost together with the drone, we have a backup control handle that can trigger the self-destruct mechanism," Liu Caiwei pointed out to Wang Diren.
"Then I can rest easy. You've thought things through very thoroughly," Wang Diren's mind was indeed put much more at ease.
The final task was to custom-make a few silencers. Without disturbing anyone, he printed out a simple blueprint using a homework artifact tool, put on a duckbill cap, and found a small hardware workshop that manufactured parts based on provided blueprints. For just a few dozen yuan, the job was done.
In the Drawing Sword World, at the Independent Regiment Headquarters.
"Old Li, you looked for me?" Kong Jie asked.
Li Yunlong measured the map and said, "Less than fifty kilometers! Good lord! We've struck it rich!"
Kong Jie asked curiously, "What good news has got you this happy?"
Li Yunlong smiled and replied, "A gift from Ding Wei! This fellow is a real friend; he's given me a cavalry battalion! At Wanjiazhen, the Puppet 8th Mixed Brigade was originally a Kuomintang security regiment. In terms of combat effectiveness, they don't even rank second-tier. Ever since they turned traitor and became Japanese lackeys, they've actually started acting high and mighty and got themselves a cavalry battalion! It makes me damn furious."
Kong Jie's eyes lit up: "Such a great thing, shall we go clean them out?"
Li Yunlong said without hesitation, "Of course! With meat served right to our lips, why wouldn't we eat it? We'll wipe them out with a single battalion!"
Thus, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie began planning.
First, they needed to understand the enemy's troop deployment and defensive situation.
To gather intelligence, Li Yunlong dispatched a reconnaissance squad.
Through stealth and observation, the squad finally brought back some important information.
As it turned out, the cavalry battalion of the Puppet 8th Mixed Brigade was stationed in Wanjiazhen, surrounded by tight security perimeters and sentries.
Moreover, they discovered that the soldiers of this cavalry battalion were slack in discipline yet heavily equipped.
Facing such an enemy, Li Yunlong and Kong Jie knew they couldn't act rashly.
They began formulating a detailed operational plan.
First, using the cover of night, they would quietly approach the enemy camp.
Then, they would choose the right moment to launch a surprise attack and throw the enemy into chaos.
Finally, they would quickly withdraw to avoid falling into the enemy's encirclement.
Li Yunlong spoke bluntly, expressing his concerns to Kong Jie:
"Blockhead Kong, we need to make things clear between us. These hundreds of horses aren't just a pouch of tobacco—just anyone can't come along and smoke them."
He reminded Kong Jie, "Although you and I are brothers who came out of the same squad, I think it's better for close brothers to settle accounts clearly."
"Your position as deputy regimental commander is only temporary; you could be transferred away or promoted at any moment. When that time comes, don't harbor any inappropriate ideas about these horses."
Kong Jie burst out laughing upon hearing this:
"Listen to you! When two brothers do business and make a profit, it should belong to both of them. Even if we split up in the future, it should be a fifty-fifty division, shouldn't it? Rest assured, I'll only take what rightfully belongs to me."
Hearing this, Li Yunlong's expression shifted:
"As regimental commander, I announce that the Independent Regiment's 2nd Battalion is currently undergoing structural downsizing and its foundation is quite poor. Comrade Kong Jie! The regiment has decided to assign you to the 2nd Battalion to stay on-site and assist the 2nd Battalion Commander in tightening up training. As for the rest of the regiment's work, you don't need to trouble yourself with it."
This so-called decision undoubtedly came as a huge surprise to Kong Jie, and he couldn't help laughing bitterly and cursing:
"Li Yunlong, oh Li Yunlong, you motherfucker, this is official retaliation! All the benefits go to you alone, are you happy now?"
Seeing this, Li Yunlong smiled as well:
"Hahaha... A promise is a promise?"
Kong Jie replied resolutely:
"A single spit, a single nail."