These bullets were ridiculously heavy, and the wooden crates weren't any lighter. Even if Jing Shu had superhuman strength, how much could she possibly carry through this sprawling complex? A single person, without any tools or assistance, moving tons of bullets across a concrete floor seemed like a physical impossibility. The exit was hundreds of meters away, obscured by the dim lighting of the warehouse corridors. Even if she had the strength of Hercules, how far could she last under such a burden? How many could she move before her muscles gave out and she collapsed?
"Fifty kilos at most," Jun Jia said lazily, dusting off a flat surface before sitting down. "Our best guy's record so far was carrying ten crates—around a hundred twenty kilos—which is about ten thousand rounds. That's roughly three hundred thousand virtual coins' worth."
He sat back and crossed one leg over the other, his foot bouncing casually as he watched her. He figured she would probably try dragging the boxes with her clothes or some makeshift harness, but anyone would be wiped out after a hundred meters of such exertion. Even trained men struggled to carry ten crates that far, so how could a petite woman like her possibly drag all that weight to the distant exit?
Time was ticking. Jing Shu first confirmed the ammunition specifications she needed, her eyes scanning the labels on the pine boxes. To her surprise, there were still large-caliber shells for German MAN roof-mounted recoilless guns tucked away in a corner.
She started stacking boxes according to her needs, her hands moving quickly over the rough wood. The saying "greed makes the snake swallow the elephant" fit her perfectly in this moment. Ten crates stacked together stood two meters tall, and she made sixteen such rows. It was an entire miniature mountain of bullets. Moving over two tons of ammo and crates in one go wasn't just impossible; it was suicidal. Even if she managed the feat, she would draw way too much attention to herself.
"Breaking news: a woman in Wu City carried off two tons of bullets at lightning speed. The Institute for All-Kinds-of-Research has detained her, suspecting she evolved a new gene!"
That kind of headline would definitely bring her trouble she didn't need. Humanity's biggest strength wasn't brawn; it's brains.
"Quick question," she called out over her shoulder. "Would the bullets explode if they got crushed?"
Jun Jia spat on the floor and shook his head. "That only happens with black powder. These are passivated TNT rounds. They only go off if the fuse detonates."
"Perfect." Jing Shu clapped her hands together and pulled out a coil of special steel wire she had gotten from Qian Duoduo. She picked out large-caliber bullets and slid them carefully under the bottom crates, then gave them a sharp push to test the friction.
The wood gave a low creak. The bullets flattened a bit under the immense pressure, deforming into odd oval shapes that made it hard for them to roll forward. The stack jammed and stopped moving after only a few inches. Clearly, stacking them that high made the center of gravity too heavy to push. She adjusted the setup, cutting each stack down to eight crates to redistribute the weight.
"Hurry it up! You have got fifteen minutes left and haven't even started moving toward the gate," Jun Jia scolded, his brow furrowing as he checked his watch. What was this girl even doing? She had spent ten minutes piling crates as if she wanted to take the entire inventory. Was she out of her mind?
Now she was wasting another five minutes tying things together and doing weird experiments with the casings. Was she seriously planning to strap bullets underneath and roll them forward like wheels? That's impossible. The bullets were too smooth to fix in place, and even if she did, she couldn't push them properly. Just like her earlier attempt—it barely moved a meter before getting stuck. How long would it take to reach the gate at that pace?
And bullets weren't wheels. They were asymmetrical, with one end pointy and one flat. How the hell was that supposed to roll in a straight line?
Dream on.
"Heh, fine by me," Jun Jia thought smugly. The longer she wasted time with these gadgets, the less she would actually take. When the timer is up, she won't get a single bullet.
But then, Jing Shu began working at lightning speed. She wove two narrow but long belts out of the large-caliber bullets she had set aside. Box after box turned into part of a continuous track under her hands. Jun Jia's jaw dropped as he watched her work. Those big rounds were expensive as hell! Still…
"Whatever," he muttered to himself. "She won't make it far anyway. I'll just have someone collect everything later."
He checked his watch again, the seconds ticking away. "You have got five minutes left! Even if you sprint, you won't make it to the exit. Just give up and pick something else you can carry!"
Jing Shu let out a deep breath and locked the final piece of the steel wire track in place. "Right on time. Let's go."
With a sharp pull, the first row of crates started moving. Then, to Jun Jia's utter disbelief, the stacked boxes began to roll forward one row after another like a goddamn freight train. The sound of faint metallic creaks filled the air as the flat ends of the bullets fit snugly under each crate's corners, locking them in just enough to keep everything balanced.
Each stack of eight crates linked together into twenty connected "cars," all joined by the steel wire. Underneath, the large-caliber bullets formed twin tracks that scraped across the concrete, pushing everything forward. It looked just like twenty miniature tank carriages linked together by wire, and Jing Shu was the locomotive pulling them.
She jogged cheerfully in front toward the light of the exit while Jun Jia chased behind, sweating buckets. Shock, disbelief, and frustration tangled inside him like a storm as he watched the massive weight move effortlessly.
"What the hell?! Have I lost my mind, or has the world gone crazy?! How the hell did that woman just make bullets work as wheels?!"
He kept cursing under his breath, half-hoping the wire would snap or the crates would topple, but the whole thing moved steady as a tank.
"Slow down! I can't keep up!"
"Fuck, weren't you supposed to be nature's mover? How come you secretly added wheels to the deal?!"
"If I slow down, I won't make it in time!" she shouted back, her pace never wavering.
"You're cheating! That doesn't count!"
"I'm using rope, like you said. And I'm using tools I brought with me, with no external help. You never said bullets couldn't be used as pads. If you have got a problem, let's go ask your brother-in-law to settle it!"
Jing Shu was an experienced driver—fast, precise, and steady in her movements. Jun Jia, a sweaty middle-aged man, couldn't even keep up with her jog. By the time he stumbled out of the building and into the open air, gasping for breath, Jing Shu was already gone.
Only the old guard at the gate remained, holding out his hand toward the official. "Sir, please settle the bill for the ammo that was just taken out."
Jun Jia's face turned dark. "Nephew, looks like your uncle is going to need to borrow from your little vault again; sorry, kid."
…
"Guess what," Jing An said that night during dinner. "They suddenly replaced the deputy director's candidate with me today. Even the director's treating me politely now."
"Minister Niu told me his position was already set in stone, but this afternoon they said I would be taking it instead. He said I must have a hell of a backer. In just two years I have jumped four levels—faster than he ever did."
"What a coincidence," Su Lanzhi said, exchanging a look with her husband before both turned toward their daughter, who was neatly organizing bullets in the warehouse. Could this be her doing again?
Though today, their daughter was acting a bit unusual. She was almost too cheerful. Even when Su Long finished all the grilled skewers and cold noodles Grandma Jing made specially for her, she didn't say a single word of complaint.
Instead, she just smiled gently and said, "It's fine, I will make more later."