For the next two days, Fang Zhen stayed home, constantly practicing knife attacks on a training dummy.
Fang Zhen had heard that for navy submariners, the most critical training before even setting foot in a submarine wasn't military skills, but learning how to seal the hatches.
Submariners had to spin the hatch wheel countless times, practicing sealing it until they were doing it in their dreams.
Even if they weren't fully conscious, their first subconscious action had to be to skillfully seal the hatch. Only then was a recruit considered to have passed basic training and allowed to learn other skills.
The reasoning was that on a real battlefield, there were too many unexpected events. A sudden crisis could make a person's mind go completely blank, rendering them unable to react. Knowledge simply memorized in your head would be useless; you wouldn't be able to recall it in time.
Crucial actions had to be trained into muscle memory, forming powerful neural pathways. Only by using methods grounded in neuroscience to turn these actions into instinctual reactions could one perform reliably in the crucible of war.
Fang Zhen was applying the same logic now.
Going into a dungeon in person was no less intense than going to war.
When a fight breaks out in a dungeon, there's no time to think. To avoid panicking, Fang Zhen practiced lethal knife attacks like slitting throats and stabbing kidneys over and over again, turning them into subconscious habits. That way, once he entered a dungeon, his chances of survival would increase significantly.
And so, two days passed.
The riot suit, spear, and Nepalese Curved Saber that Fang Zhen had purchased all arrived, one day earlier than he had expected.
The riot suit arrived first.
After accepting the delivery and opening the package, Fang Zhen saw the riot suit in person.
It was a gray suit with a texture that resembled felt. It felt somewhat rigid to the touch. It also came with a set of matching guards, with black armor plates covering the knees, hips, chest, back, and elbows.
Fang Zhen tested it with one of his kitchen knives and found that he really couldn't pierce it.
He tried it on. The fit was perfect. It wasn't as cumbersome as he'd imagined, either. His flexibility was slightly reduced, but not by much—it was well within an acceptable range.
The helmet that came with the riot suit was also quite sturdy. It had a shock-absorbent design on the inside. Even if someone whaled on his head with a telescopic baton or a nightstick, the helmet could take the hit without him getting seriously injured. The internal padding would also prevent a concussion.
Fang Zhen was very satisfied with the riot suit.
'You get what you pay for,' Fang Zhen assessed. The riot suit was worth every penny.
The Anti-Riot Shield that came with it was also quite sturdy. It had an arm strap, so Fang Zhen didn't have to grip it with his hand; he could just slide his forearm into the strap, and it would stay in place.
The riot suit arrived in the morning. That afternoon, the spear and the Nepalese Curved Saber arrived as well.
When Fang Zhen saw the spear, it looked almost identical to the photo. It had a very impressive appearance.
The moment Fang Zhen held the spear, something primal stirred within him.
The spear had a fine appearance. Its blade was polished to a mirror shine. The spearhead alone resembled a long dagger, complete with a blood groove. It looked practical and sturdy, with the high-quality feel of an expensive item.
The spear required assembly, but it was straightforward. The front end of the solid wood shaft connected easily to the spearhead. Fang Zhen got an assembly video from customer service through the app and put it together quickly by following the steps.
The spear was 215 centimeters long, too long for Fang Zhen to wield properly in his living room. Still, just holding it made him feel excited and happy.
"First, a flash of cold steel, then the spear strikes like a dragon!" Fang Zhen gripped the spear with both hands, tucked the shaft under his right arm, and thrust forward.
It felt a bit heavy, but it was still under his control. He thrust the spear forward, stabbing the training dummy in the corner.
The impact felt authentic. The force of the feedback sent a slight jolt through him, and the stabbed dummy shuddered backward.
"Hahaha! I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan!" Fang Zhen was overjoyed. He felt the simple happiness of a kid who's just found a long, straight stick and declared it a legendary sword.
He played with the spear for a while longer, getting used to its feel.
He also toyed with the Nepalese Curved Saber for a bit. Its weight felt just right for one-handed use. As an off-hand weapon for his left, the blade felt substantial yet controllable, which greatly boosted his sense of security.
'Good. Very good. I just need to find a way to get the spearhead and saber sharpened, and my gear will be pretty much ready.'
…
Fang Zhen had been wondering if he should find a hardware store or a similar shop to sharpen the spearhead and the saber. He'd never bought anything like them before, so he had no idea where the best place to get them edged would be. He was also a little worried about attracting the attention of the police.
But as it turned out, he didn't need to go to such lengths.
The next morning, as he was returning from the breakfast stall downstairs, he saw an old man in the residential complex sharpening kitchen knives for people with a set of power tools.
Fang Zhen often saw old men like this sharpening scissors and knives when he was a kid, but he hadn't paid them any mind in recent years. He only now realized that they were still plying their trade; he just hadn't been paying attention.
He chatted with the old man for a moment, gave him thirty yuan, and then went upstairs to detach the spearhead. He brought the spearhead and the saber down and asked the old man to put an edge on them.
As they spoke, he felt a little guilty, afraid the old man would ask what he planned to do with a spearhead and a Dog Leg Saber. He had even prepared a cover story: he'd just insist he was a bladed-weapon enthusiast, no matter who asked.
In reality, the old man couldn't have cared less. He was thrilled with the thirty yuan and, without asking a single question, got to work sharpening the spearhead and the saber.
Moreover, Fang Zhen had thought the other residents would be alarmed to see him having weapons sharpened and might even call the police. But his neighbors had no reaction at all. At most, they'd shoot a glance or two before hurrying on their way. No one paid him much mind.
'Heh, guess I was overthinking things. Everyone's wrapped up in their own lives; no one's paying any attention to me.' Seeing that he was being ignored, he relaxed considerably.
Before long, the old sharpener had put an edge on the saber and the spearhead.
Fang Zhen tested the edges. They felt plenty sharp. He was very satisfied.
After paying the man, he returned home, reattached the spearhead, and began practicing with the spear on his training dummy.
He used a basic spear-thrusting technique he'd learned online. Gripping the spear with both hands and holding it steady under his right arm, he suddenly thrust out!
"PFFT!"
The spear plunged directly into the dummy's abdomen, sinking halfway in.
"Nice!" Fang Zhen got a feel for the thrust and was very pleased with the spear's power.
After pulling the spear out, he picked up the Nepalese Curved Saber. He swung it a few times, then brought it down in a diagonal slash at the dummy's shoulder.
"CRACK!"
The saber was incredibly sharp, and the swing carried a great deal of kinetic energy. With a single slash from Fang Zhen, the dummy's left arm was instantly severed at the shoulder with a crack.
"Holy crap..."
Even Fang Zhen was startled.
He looked at the dummy's severed arm on the floor, then back at the saber in his hand, and took a deep breath.
'This sharp... It's incredible!'
His sense of security grew another notch.
That afternoon, shortly before four o'clock, the last piece of equipment he'd ordered online arrived.
It was a titanium slingshot.
This was a piece of gear Fang Zhen had bought on a sudden impulse while double-checking his preparations.
He didn't know how to shoot a bow, but he'd played with slingshots plenty as a kid, and he'd been a pretty good shot, too.
Fang Zhen's thinking was that even if it wasn't very lethal, he could at least use the slingshot as a ranged weapon to pull and aggro monsters.
With this idea in mind, he looked up slingshots online and was surprised to find that they had been upgraded quite a bit over the years.
As was his custom, Fang Zhen found the most expensive one. It had a high-powered titanium alloy frame, and the bands were made of an extremely tough material. For 264 yuan, it came with a leather pouch for ball bearings, a strong magnetic buckle, nine replacement bands, 800 steel ball bearings, a tool kit, and a wrist lanyard.
Seeing that even the best one was only 264 yuan, Fang Zhen placed the order.
When it arrived, Fang Zhen held the actual item in his hand. The slingshot felt quite heavy, giving it a solid, realistic feel. The bands were extremely tough. He figured the power from shooting a steel ball bearing would be immense.
He had a feeling that at close range, this slingshot might actually do more damage to a person than a bow and arrow.
As Fang Zhen fiddled with the slingshot, an idea came to him.
'I should test its power.'