Ch.170Big Gun! (3)

#170

Himena glared at Dexter with a low voice.

“Honey, do you really have to do this?”

“If not me, then who?”

Dexter, wearing an EOD protective suit, replied with a smirk.

As Dexter slowly poured the liquefied Negative into the glass tube attached to the ‘water gun,’ he naturally began to smell the scent that emerged as the Negative entered the tube.

“Smells like blood, somehow.”

“Well, it was circulating in Encyclopedia-san’s body, right?”

“Ah, that’s right.”

The glass tube had markings with ○, ◑, and ● drawn at large intervals, with ● marked at the top of the tube, which was also its opening.

‘That must be the limit line.’

After reassembling the glass tube onto the water gun, Dexter looked at the Director and the Bureau executives who were about 50 yards (about 45m) away from him and said:

“Tell them I’m ready.”

“Preparations complete!”

Himena, standing next to Dexter, shouted toward the Bureau executives while crouching behind the temporary fortification made of sandbags.

“Ready to fire!”

With the Director’s shout, a translucent blue shield spread around the Director and the Bureau executives, and an aide standing next to the Director raised a red flag high.

Seeing this, Dexter clicked his tongue and said:

“They give us the standard protective suits while they use the more expensive ones.”

“What can we do? The Director is more valuable than low-level employees.”

Dexter clicked his tongue again and began to scan the targets in front of him.

Targets marked 100 yards, 200 yards, and 300 yards (about 100m, 200m, 300m) were placed across the vast wasteland.

Though he called it a water gun because he didn’t know its official name, it was a ‘real weapon’ complete with sights.

Dexter shouldered the stock of the water gun like a regular submachine gun, half-bending his knees as he aimed at the 100-yard target.

“Ready to fire.”

As Dexter spoke quietly, Himena nodded.

“Ready to fire!”

In response to Himena’s shout, the Director shouted back:

“Commence firing!”

The aide standing next to the Director waved the red flag vigorously.

“Commence firing!”

With the announcement to begin firing, Himena ducked down tightly.

Dexter took a deep breath, held it while aiming at the target, and pulled the trigger.

-Peeeeeng….

Feeling no recoil at all, Dexter was somewhat confused.

The water gun began to emit light, and suddenly the surroundings brightened as an intensely bright light shot out from the muzzle of the gun.

As the Negative laser, traveling in a straight line, hit the target, the surroundings were once again bathed in red light.

As the light faded, Dexter examined the area near the target, widened his eyes, and shouted loudly:

“Himena, get down!”

-KWAAAAAANG…!!

An ear-splitting roar spread instantly.

The sandstorm and blast wave from the explosion were so powerful that even the thick pile of sandbags shook momentarily from the shockwave.

When Dexter, who couldn’t open his eyes due to the sandstorm, finally opened them as the dust settled, he couldn’t help but curse at the sight before him.

“Holy shit.”

The 100-yard target had vanished without a trace, leaving only a large crater in its place.

Himena, who peeked her head over the sandbags, and the Bureau executives inside the shield were all astonished.

Emerging from the temporary fortification, Himena shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked at the crater in shock.

“This is more powerful than any grenade or explosive round… No! It’s far more powerful than a mortar! This level of power is almost like an artillery howitzer used by the military!”

Dexter was equally amazed.

‘This level of destructive power in this small size is rare even in space….’

When Dexter checked the amount of Negative in the glass tube, he saw that only one small marking had been consumed.

‘So about 120 shots if charged to the limit…’

Though Dexter had never extracted Negative himself, at this rate, even if the extraction cost was a thousand times more expensive than the production cost of rifle bullets used in the U.S. military’s standard rifles, it would still be worth using.

“Himena, what’s the price per 5.56 round?”

“Oh, you mean standard rifle bullets? I don’t know the exact supply price, but it’s about 40 cents per round.”

“Then what about the price of an artillery shell used by the military?”

“…I don’t know that either.”

“I’ll answer that.”

A middle-aged man with graying hair, similar in age and build to Director Makoa, spoke up.

The person who spoke while staring at the water gun with wide, excited eyes was the figure standing next to Director Makoa.

Not knowing who this person was, Dexter glanced at Himena and asked in a very small voice:

“Who’s that?”

“Mason Kwan. He’s with the Bureau and also the head of the Space Secret Operations Department.”

Sensing the desire and ambition filling Kwan’s eyes, Dexter set the water gun’s safety on and pointed the muzzle toward the ground.

“Yes, Dexter Hughes here.”

“Three thousand dollars per shell! Three thousand dollars! And with the simplicity that anyone who can use a rifle can use it! Much easier than training skilled artillery personnel!”

Looking at Kwan, who was visibly excited while staring at the water gun Dexter was holding, the two could only watch him with bewildered expressions.

“This is a revolution in national defense… I’d believe it if this gun cost a million dollars! A rifle with power similar to a Paladin (a self-propelled howitzer used by the U.S. Army)! Ammunition supply might be difficult, but it’s perfectly suitable as a battalion-level support weapon…!”

Neither Himena nor Dexter had military backgrounds, so they couldn’t understand exactly what Kwan was talking about, only vaguely guessing it was military talk.

Of course, it was clear that anyone, military background or not, would covet a weapon with such power.

“Are you from a military background, sir?”

“Of course! I’m from the Army Futures Command! May I, may I touch it once? Where was such a rifle developed… No, why did the gunsmith develop such a thing in the first place…!”

“Well, since the experiment isn’t over yet, let’s return to your position. It could be dangerous.”

Watching Kwan, who had been excitedly talking, return to his seat with a dejected expression when told to go back, Dexter asked Himena what the “Army Futures Command” was.

“I don’t know the details, but I believe it’s where they research or improve army equipment and vehicles for modernization.”

“I see.”

It was a natural reaction from someone who had worked at a place advocating for the modernization of weapons.

However, Negative was an energy that even the Galactic Union restricted information about, so it shouldn’t be carelessly disclosed.

That’s why only a small number of Bureau personnel were allowed to observe the experiment, but seeing Director Kwan sitting in his seat with trembling legs and his gaze fixed on the gun Dexter was holding, it seemed they had misjudged.

“Let’s resume the experiment.”

Though it seemed meaningless to test accuracy in hitting targets, they had to finish what they started.

Himena also nodded and returned to the temporary fortification, shouting loudly:

“Ready to fire!”

“Ready to fire.”

The shield, which had been temporarily turned off, was activated again, and the two, Dexter and Himena, resumed the experiment of firing the water gun.

* * *

Himena, her face covered in sand dust mixed with sweat, was grumbling from the passenger seat as they headed home.

“I’m dying from being in the scorching sun and sandstorms… I want to go home and shower quickly. Do I smell?”

“Not really. Just sweat after all that work. What did the Bureau people say?”

“No, I think I smell really bad… They didn’t say much, but they want to rename that gun.”

“Why rename the gun all of a sudden?”

“They said we can’t keep calling it a water gun? And you know how higher-ups like to name things first to make them sound impressive.”

Himena, who had picked up Dexter’s habits, pouted as she wiped the dust around her eyes with a wet wipe.

“I think the name was Hand Cannon or something.”

“We’re not in medieval times, what’s with ‘Hand Cannon’?”

“Since it’s fired by hand but has power similar to an artillery howitzer, that’s the name they came up with. Director Makoa was laughing heartily when he named it.”

“Good combat skills, but poor naming skills.”

Dexter shook his head.

“There should be about 60 shots worth of Negative left, what will they do with that?”

“They’ve reclaimed it for now, and the Science and Technology Department will keep it under strict control for the time being. The Hand Cannon will be managed by the Space Secret Operations Department, not the Science and Technology Department.”

“What? The department with that weapon-loving director? What if they try to replicate the Hand Cannon?”

“They strongly denied it, but who knows?”

Himena shrugged and looked out the car window.

“They’ve informed other department heads, so he probably can’t issue orders to replicate the Hand Cannon. And no matter how much he loves weapons, would he mess with something that could potentially destroy the Earth if mishandled?”

“Human greed is the scariest thing. You never know.”

After finishing that sentence, Dexter drove in silence for a while, then glanced at Himena cautiously before speaking:

“When should we bring Judy over?”

“Didn’t you say it’s not possible for a while because of her relatives or something?”

“I heard she returned earlier than expected.”

“Hmm, how about tomorrow? It’s your day off, and it should be Judy’s day off too.”

“What do Emily and Jesse think?”

“They’re both welcoming it, I think?”

“Welcoming it?”

“Both of them are the type who prefer to deal with troublesome matters as soon as possible. Me too.”

“Troublesome? What do you mean by that?”

Dexter chuckled, causing Himena’s brow to furrow deeply.

“It’s all because of you!”

“But you all gave permission, didn’t you?”

“You, took, it, literally, and, that’s, why, things, turned, out, this, way!”

As Himena slapped Dexter’s forearm with each word she finished, Dexter, not wanting to get hit more, wiggled his body.

“Hey, I’m driving. Driving.”

“We’ll do our best, but we won’t let you escape alone. You know that, right?”

“What time should we bring her over?”

“Before dinner? Calm our minds, eat together, have some tea to soothe… that seems just right.”

“It’s scary when the three of you team up. It feels like you’ve already planned everything.”

“You’re the one who made it scary. Think about the dinner menu. What does Judy like?”

“I think her taste is similar to Emily’s, but the vibe is different.”

After hearing about tomorrow’s dinner menu and the three women’s plans to some extent, he dropped Himena off at home.

Standing in front of the entrance, Himena looked at Dexter with a crooked posture and said:

“Tomorrow, okay?”

“Do I look like an elementary school student? As if I’d forget something like that.”

With those words, Dexter approached and lightly kissed Himena on the cheek.

“You’ll get dust on you too.”

“I’ve been in a dust bowl too, what’s there to worry about?”

Dexter chuckled, then hugged Himena and patted her back firmly.

The sand dust on Himena’s clothes rose all at once, creating a dust cloud.

Thanks to that, Himena coughed several times and pushed Dexter’s chest away.

“*cough* Seriously!”

“I’m going now.”

Dexter grinned, jumped into his car, waved his hand, and drove off, leaving Himena with an incredulous smile.

“He’s such a child, really.”

* * *

Invited to Dexter’s home for the first time, Judy arrived at his house dressed appropriately—neither too fancy nor too shabby.

It was an ordinary small house that could be seen anywhere in the Las Vegas suburbs, but there was one thing that bothered Judy, who had driven here in her own car.

Besides Dexter’s red pickup truck, there was another black car parked in front of the garage.

‘Does Dexter have a spare car?’

But having never seen Dexter driving any car other than his red pickup truck, Jesse only wondered about it.

As Judy approached the front door and rang the bell, she was greeted by an unexpected person.

“Ah, Judy? Welcome!”

Instead of Dexter coming out as expected, a Latina woman greeted Judy instead.

Moreover, Judy had already seen this person several times before.

“Joaquina… was it?”

“Ah, I explained myself as Joaquina back then. Please, have a seat!”

Looking somewhat bewildered, Judy entered Dexter’s house, guided by Himena.