Chapter 15, Section 4 Equipment of the First Miao Township Wu Zu

"Wait a minute," Sun Fatzi interjected, pointing his finger, "Director, there are only five investigation rooms. You didn't mention the sixth room."

"Really? I didn't mention it? Are you sure?" Haowen Ming responded with three uncertain questions. I chimed in, "That's right, Director Haowen. You forgot to introduce the sixth investigation room."

"You both have good memories," Haowen Ming replied with a somewhat reluctant tone. He continued, "The head of the sixth room is named Wu Rendi. If there are matters that the other five rooms can't handle, they'll be assigned to his sixth room."

Sun Fatzi remarked, "Is this Director Wu really that powerful? Sounds like a big shot in the investigative bureau."

"Alright, enough of that. Let's introduce the basic equipment to you," Haowen Ming deflected the conversation somewhat forcibly. He took a Type 92 pistol from Sun Fatzi's box, which was on the top layer. "I have to say, both of you should be familiar with this, one being a special forces soldier and the other a narcotics detective, right?"

I picked up my own Type 92 pistol, realizing that I had been neglecting it while inspecting the items on the lower layers. Now holding it in my hand, I noticed the differences compared to a standard Type 92 pistol. This gun was engraved with rune-like patterns all over its body, and it felt heavier and more peculiar in my grip. Wasn't this the same pistol that White-Haired Wu Mian had given me in the Water Curtain Cave? Old Lin lost his life to the bullets fired from it.

I removed the magazine and took out a bullet, holding it in my hand. It was different from ordinary bullets; the bullet head had a symbol etched into it, and when it caught the light, it gleamed intensely.

"Director, is this gun not made by your investigative bureau?" I asked while holding the Type 92.

"Your investigative bureau? It's our investigative bureau. Also, put the gun down before you speak. I have to say, you used to be in the military, do you know that mishandling a gun can be deadly?"

Seeing me set down the Type 92 in my hand, he continued, "This gun is based on the domestic Type 92 but has some additions. The runes engraved on the gun's body are exorcism and ghost-repelling symbols from the Tian Shi of Dragon and Tiger Mountain. They're reproductions, but they still carry some significant power. The specialized bullets for this gun are made of silver alloy, treated to resist oxidation, and feature a special design that causes them to explode upon hitting the target. Inside, they contain highly compressed cinnabar. As for the symbols on the bullet heads..."

"It's the Soul-Sealing Symbol from the Daoist sect of Mount Lao, made up by Li Tianyi, a charlatan," Ouyang Pianzuo, the head of the fifth room whom I had encountered upstairs earlier, entered the room, cursing and muttering.

Surprised to see him in the shooting range, Haowen Ming asked, "Aren't you supposed to be shopping online? Didn't you almost get scammed?"

Ouyang Pianzuo angrily responded, "Don't mention it! I almost got fooled by a swindler. He claimed to have a replica of the Hell's Spectres painting, personally drawn by the first-generation Zhang Tian Shi from Dragon and Tiger Mountain. He even said it had been dug up from the ground, over 800 years old! But when I went to see it, the canvas was made of cheap polyester blend!"

After sharing his frustration, Ouyang Pianzuo ignored Haowen Ming and took out two talisman papers from his pocket, placing them on the table. He gestured to me and Sun Fatzi with his index finger, saying, "You two come over here. Write down your birthdates on the paper, preferably in the lunar calendar. If you've had any sexual activity in the past three days, don't write it."

Seeing our bewildered expressions, Haowen Ming explained, "Director Ouyang is making a protective talisman for you both. With this talisman, if anything happens to you outside, the bureau will be notified immediately."

After writing down our birthdates, Ouyang Pianzuo took out a silver needle and, after briefly heating it with a lighter, pricked our fingertips to draw a few drops of blood, which he dripped onto the talisman papers.

"All right, I'll go prepare the talismans. Old Haowen, I'm leaving them to you," he said before leaving the shooting range without looking back.

"Hey, isn't this your job?" Haowen Ming didn't call after Ouyang Pianzuo but sighed and reluctantly said, "Let's continue. Where were we? Oh yes, we've covered the pistols; let's move on to other equipment."

To make a long story short, even the police baton was inscribed with spells. The item resembling a cellphone pouch was a rune bag containing ten talisman papers, and Haowen Ming didn't explain their specific functions but mentioned that Ouyang Pianzuo would teach us how to use them during training.

"Alright, we've covered everything we needed to. We still have some time, so let's practice shooting. It's a rule in the investigative bureau that investigators can only use standard ammunition for target practice. However, since this is your first time, we can make an exception and use specialized bullets."

Haowen Ming finished speaking and pressed a button, transporting the specially designed target to a spot fifty meters away. He added, "These guns might be a bit different from what you're used to, so take some time to get a feel for them."