Chapter 344: Submachine Gun and Diamond Fortress

The castle's mechanical alchemy chamber.

Lei En, concentrating, sat at the table; in his hand, a metal component writhed and reshaped like molten liquid. After countless attempts, it finally stabilized. Satisfied, he nodded, set it aside, and picked up another alloy to continue experimenting.

On the tabletop, already a hundred pieces lay there.

Each part had different specifications and parameters, and the materials varied—mechanisms, springs, barrels, magazines… many pieces bore runes that glowed with flowing energy.

A moment later, another component was finished.

"Hoo…"

Lei En exhaled a long breath, rubbed his forehead; using activated metal for so long still taxed his mind, and the finer the structure, the greater the difficulty.

This was his longest weapons research ever; it began as soon as he returned from the Saen Plateau, lasting over two months, with him spending half a day in the mechanical alchemy chamber almost daily, sometimes even the whole day.

But the effort was worth it.

He finally devised a unique weapon that fused a Soul Gun with a former-life firearm.

Lei En originally planned to collaborate with Blaimit, but after the dwarves introduced the Rongyanbao craftsmen to the canyon, they ran back, leaving no time to invite him. When he asked Chief Craftsman Bulestein, he couldn't explain, saying something important related to archaeology was involved.

So he had to give up, which also saved him from Blaimit constantly probing the machine gun's secrets.

Lei En grabbed the parts on the table and assembled them at lightning speed.

Clack clack clack…

A few minutes later, a complete Soul Gun was assembled.

If a gun enthusiast from Diqiu were here, they'd recognize it at a glance; the Soul Gun's shape resembles an AKS-74U, a variant of the AK-47—a classic short-barreled assault rifle—except the folding stock is gone, the wooden grip and barrel shroud are replaced with metal, the whole thing is jet black, only fifty centimeters long, looking at first like a submachine gun.

Though the barrel seems short, it weighs twenty pounds, forged from multiple magical alloys and etched with runes that aid heat dissipation and stability.

Because it lacks a stock and forward grip, the gun can only be held with one hand.

Ordinary people couldn't wield it; firing it would be hard to control, but for a Gunwing Knight it's perfect. Gunwing Knights are transcendent beings; their bronze bodies grant them considerable strength, and after merging with the First Main Soul, their power increased again, making single-handed use of a Soul Gun feasible.

Lei En never considered arming Gunwing Knights with Lambo's Gun.

Doing so would make Lambo's Gun's secrets impossible to keep; with over three hundred users, ammunition couldn't be supplied, and Lambo's Gun weighs over two hundred pounds, plus a magazine that could add four or five hundred pounds, so only a Tier‑1 Gunwing Knight could lift it, yet it would be too unwieldy to fire.

Even the Extreme Warrior's Lambo's Guns he planned to retire, replacing them with his own Soul Gun.

Lei En fitted a curved magazine, aimed at the wall of the mechanical alchemy chamber, and pulled the trigger.

Dada da…

A rapid burst of gunfire rang out; in less than ten seconds, the thirty‑round magazine was emptied.

"The power's decent, a bit worse than Lambo's Gun; the rate of fire and range are only half, after all it's a short‑barreled gun—reaching this level is already great."

Lei En gave himself a satisfied appraisal.

In his conception, Gunwing Knights need flexible combat styles and shouldn't be limited to being mere shooters, so he made the Soul Gun single‑handed, allowing the other hand to wield a longsword or another weapon or shield, ensuring they wouldn't be helpless in melee.

The magazine just fired used conventional gunpowder bullets, which didn't trigger the rune effect.

Lei En activated the activated metal, fusing the non‑moving parts of the gun into one piece, sealing even the ejection port.

Immediately, the runes on the Soul Gun stirred, emitting a chill.

Lei En swapped in a different magazine and fired again.

Dada da, amid a fierce volley, the Soul Gun's runes lit up, the rate of fire increased, and in about eight seconds the thirty rounds were spent, each bullet slightly more powerful.

And no shells were ejected!

That's its biggest highlight: it uses shellless bullets.

Lei En devoted over two months to research, and the most important result was the creation of shellless bullets.

In his past life on Diqiu, shellless bullets were invented early, forming the propellant into a solid block attached to the projectile; the firing pin ignited the powder, launching the projectile without leaving residue.

Shellless bullets have many advantages: first, they are lightweight, allowing more ammunition to be carried; second, without ejected shells the gun's structure simplifies, enabling a fully sealed action that prevents sand or debris from entering the barrel, extending the weapon's lifespan.

But shellless bullets also have a fatal flaw: they can self‑ignite.

Heat generated by firing remains in the chamber, and a new bullet entering may be ignited. On Diqiu, shellless bullets never became widespread because the self‑ignition issue couldn't be solved, along with drawbacks like poor waterproofing, high‑temperature resistance, and difficulty storing.

Lei En originally hadn't intended to make shellless bullets.

However, during his Soul Gun research, he discovered that the propellant of Soul Gun Bullets, called "fuel", was actually a solid mixed with magical metal, controllable in shape by activated metal.

Moreover, the fuel's ignition point is high, requiring Soul Power to ignite via the runes on the Soul Gun.

These two traits instantly reminded Lei En of shellless bullets.

After hundreds of attempts, he finally fashioned the fuel into a casing, then loaded Diqiu's propellant inside, creating a unique shellless bullet.

When firing, the runes ignite the fuel shell, generating high heat that ignites the internal propellant, producing massive thrust to launch the projectile, leaving only minimal gas residue in the chamber. The next bullet entering the barrel isn't at risk of self‑ignition because the fuel shell's ignition point is high.

Crucially, the fuel used in shellless bullets is only one‑twentieth of that in normal Soul Gun Bullets.

Typical fuel bullets' power depends on the amount of fuel; more fuel requires more activated Soul Power.

But a gunman's Soul Power is limited; a Tier‑1 gunman, even using the weakest fuel bullets, can only fire a dozen or so shots before depletion, making endurance very poor.

Essentially, a gunman is also a spellcaster.

And the Soul Gun is the gunman's staff, an indispensable casting conduit, yet most gunmen have low Soul Transformation levels and limited aptitude, unable to master meditation, lacking the deep Soul Power of true casters, which hampers their firing.

Ai Lun E Si never developed an automatic rifle or machine gun, also because of Soul Power limits; a burst of fuel bullets flies out so fast that the enemy hasn't died before the gunman collapses.

This is the main reason gunmen remain at the lower tier of the transcendent profession.

Even if a gunman cultivates to Mid-stage or even High-stage, with Soul Power greatly increased, the Soul Power required for fuel bullets rises proportionally; the more powerful the gun technique, the less they dare to misuse it, so combat endurance only improves slightly.

Shellless bullets solve this problem well.

The fuel shell no longer determines bullet power; it merely ignites the propellant, vastly saving Soul Power, allowing the number of fireable bullets to increase by dozens of times!

Dada da…

Lei En fired continuously, emptying a dozen magazines.

He held the gun with one hand, the barrel unmoving; the not‑insignificant recoil felt nonexistent to him, and hundreds of bullets struck a hole only the size of a fist. With so many bullets fired, the Soul Gun warmed slightly, multiple ice runes dissipated heat simultaneously, emitting a faint mist.

At a thousand rounds fired, the Soul Gun was still operating steadily.

Lei En stopped, satisfied.

"That will do."

He didn't test further, glanced at the phone screen, and saw that a thousand bullets had used three units of power. Being a Level 8 Wizard, his soul power far exceeds that of a gunner, and even a wizard of the same rank is far behind; consuming only three units of power is normal.

If a Gunwing Knight of the first rank used it, it would probably only be able to fire three to four hundred hollow bullets before failing.

Lei En picked up a hollow bullet; its shape was completely different from ordinary bullets, the case being rectangular, encasing the projectile and leaving only a small tip exposed.

If such bullets were popularized, the combat power of gunners worldwide would skyrocket, and they might become the most sought‑after extraordinary profession.

But they cannot be used by ordinary people; their impact on the world is far less than that of pure gunpowder firearms.

"Better to be cautious; it cannot be disseminated for now."

Lei En learned that many renowned powerful soul guns employ dimensional technology; a single magazine can hold tens of thousands of bullets, eliminating the need to change magazines, and the bullets are stored in a dimensional space, so even if the magazine is lost, without the correct unlocking method the bullets cannot be retrieved.

He currently lacks the materials and the requisite knowledge, so he cannot manufacture it for now.

Once he masters the dimensional magazine later, he won't have to worry about hollow bullets leaking.

Putting the soul gun down, Lei En decided to give it a name.

"Let's call it a submachine gun; it's simple and easy to remember, and its appearance is already similar to a submachine gun, only its power is equivalent to an assault rifle."

"When you fire while charging on horseback, isn't that a submachine gun…"

After finalizing the design and name, he immediately began mass‑producing the submachine guns.

The pre‑prepared magical metal was brought over, the activated metal ran at full power, and in just two or three hours, fifty brand‑new submachine guns were produced.

Under the precise control of the metal's tactile feedback, each submachine gun's performance and dimensions were flawless.

Lei En knew the quality was fine without test‑firing.

An Extreme Warrior knocked on the door, his face beaming with joy, and said, "Boss, the dwarves over at the Canyon reported that Jin Gang Fort is completed."

"That fast?"

Lei En couldn't help but be surprised; he had been so occupied with researching the submachine gun that several days had passed without him leaving.

A careful calculation showed that from the start of construction to now it was still under seventy days, twenty days shorter than the three‑month term stipulated in the contract.

Lei En gathered all the submachine guns and stepped into the teleport array.

The scene before his eyes shifted, revealing a spacious hall; this had originally been a cave Lei En had blasted out of the rock wall, but after the dwarven craftsmen expanded it, it was completely transformed.

The teleport array stood in the center of the hall, its ceiling soaring over fifteen meters high; the entire hall was a massive hexagon over a hundred meters in diameter, grand and imposing, with each flat stone wall featuring a wide passage leading to different rooms.

Bulestein, the chief master stone mason of Rongyanbao, led more than two hundred dwarves and waited outside the teleport array.

"Lord!"

Bulestein said in a very resonant voice, "Jin Gang Fort has been completed; please inspect it, and if there are no issues, after payment we will depart."

"Fine," Lei En nodded gladly.

The alchemy chamber, armory, prayer meditation room, mechanical workshop, and warehouse—these five areas surround the teleport hall; they were his own designs, already reviewed, so no further inspection was needed.

Among the six passages of the teleport hall, the largest leads to the Canyon.

Lei En walked through a passage over eight meters wide and high, with crystal lamps on the walls casting bright light; after a hundred meters, he entered the fortress proper.

The entire massive fortress was built of Jin Gang rock, erected against the mountain, concealing the passage that led to the teleport hall. The fortress had three tiers, each covering tens of thousands of square meters, with a cafeteria, training ground, dormitories, and all other facilities.

Stepping out of the fortress, the main gate opened onto a broad open space, surrounded by a tall, semi‑circular wall.

The wall, over a dozen meters high, had three entrances.

To the left was a massive shooting range; the farthest target lay a kilometer away at the end of the Canyon. The range's structures were fitted with sound‑dampening formations, so even the loudest gunfire inside would not escape.

The right‑hand exit led to a large arena capable of accommodating several thousand people for drill formations; along its side, at the foot of the canyon cliffs, a long stable was built, currently holding two thousand bronze warhorses, with plans for future expansion.

The rock walls above the Canyon were also carved into dozens of huge caverns, allowing fire dragons to dwell within.

A few watchtowers were hidden aloft.

All the structures were built of Jin Gang rock, sturdy, durable, and aesthetically pleasing, showcasing the dwarves' superb craftsmanship.

Lei En could not be more satisfied.

What he had drawn on the blueprints became reality in just seventy days; the speed exceeded his expectations, the completion was extremely high, fast and good, and no one could outdo the dwarves.

"Lord, what do you think?" Bulestein asked confidently.

"Excellent!" Lei En praised sincerely, "The dwarves truly live up to being the world's best masters of construction; I am very satisfied."

Hearing the praise, all the dwarves showed pride on their faces.

Lei En promptly paid the remaining half of the wages and tried to invite the dwarves to a celebration banquet, but they declined. The dwarves had been away from Rongyanbao for over two months; most had families and missed home, so Lei En could only part with regret.

"Master Bulestein, I look forward to future cooperation," Lei En said sincerely, standing beside the teleport array.

"Then I'll await your word," the sturdy dwarf managed a rare smile, "You're always welcome, Lord, to visit Rongyanbao."

After speaking, he entered the teleport portal.

After Lei En closed the teleport portal, he immediately severed the coordinate link with the dwarves' teleport array, and, under the gaze of the Extreme Warriors, walked out of the fortress onto the wall.

A few minutes later, a large herd of bronze warhorses galloped in from the void.

Over three hundred majestic bronze warhorses, their bodies shimmering with azure light, vaulted over the canyon's rock walls, swooped down, and joyfully raced across the arena; the ground trembled, the air surged, creating a spectacular scene.

During the two months, he made repeated trips to Sain Plateau and tamed the entire herd of bronze warhorses.

Because it was inconvenient to bring them to the castle and the castle's stables could not accommodate them, they were allowed to roam freely on the plateau outside the Canyon.

Lei En turned back to the teleport hall and ordered, "Brothers, bring over everything prepared inside the castle, and also the Gunwing Knights; notify them to assemble. In an hour open the teleport portal; the real training will begin."

Thank you all for your concern; today is only one chapter…

(End of chapter)