King of the Wilderness

Chapter 774: Chapter 354: Underground Black Market (Part 3)

The fat man grinned, a hint of boasting and arrogance in his tone: ”But you must understand what you are getting for the extra seven thousand US dollars. You’re buying not just the simple act of grinding off some numbers, but ’freedom’ and ’innocence’.”

”Where do you think the AR-15s on the black market come from? Most of them are stolen goods from some unlucky person’s safe. Such guns might be poorly maintained, with rust in the barrel; or they might have been modified by their previous owner with unreliable parts.”

”What if it jams when you pull the trigger at a crucial moment? Or worse, that gun might have already been used in a case, with its ’fingerprint’ still in the police’s ballistic database!”

”Buying it might mean you’re taking the fall for a murderer. But this one is a ’virgin’ straight off the production line, possibly never even chambered a bullet.”

”Friend, do you know what the soul of the AR series guns is in the United States?” He didn’t explain directly, but first posed a question.

Seeing Lin Yu’an not respond, he answered his own question, tapping the lower part of the gun with his finger, which was the metal part holding the trigger and magazine well.

”It’s this thing, the lower receiver. It’s the only part with a unique gun number, and legally, it’s the only part considered a ’gun’ in the AR series.”

”The barrel, stock, scope... all other things are just unregulated parts, you can buy them online, and they can be delivered directly to your home.”

”What we have in our channels is the lower receiver!”

The fat man paused, allowing Lin Yu’an to digest this information, then raised one finger, tapping on the polished metal.

”Secondly, don’t think erasing a serial number is just a matter of sanding it off? Friend, in the United States, tampering with a firearm serial number is a federal felony, with a minimum of five years in prison and no upper limit.”

”This small piece of metal in front of you embodies our top-notch technology and huge legal risk!”

”We use micro-computer milling machines to precisely mill off the layer of metal with the number, then refill it with the same material metal powder via laser micro-welding, and finally, do a military-grade anodizing treatment on the whole thing.”

”With this whole process, even if you send it to the FBI forensic lab and look at it with an electron microscope, it would still appear to be a piece of metal that has never had anything engraved on it. This gun’s physical and legal identity has been perfectly erased.”

”Finally, with brand new parts we openly bought—namely the barrel, bolt, and such, it forms a ’ghost gun’ with no traceable records inside and out.”

This vivid and graphic explanation made the birth process of a ghost gun clear and understandable, and made its absolute cleanliness even more shocking and enticing.

He looked at Lin Yu’an’s eyes behind the mask, offering the final and most valuable point:

”Lastly, this 7000 US dollar is a silent insurance. The factory insider, the shipping driver, down to me, everyone along this line is staking their freedom as a bet.”

”Every one of us carries a crime worthy of a lifetime in a federal prison: illegal transportation, conspiracy, unlicensed trading... Most of the money you pay doesn’t go into my pocket but is used to feed every mouth in this silent chain.”

”To make them willing to gamble their lives and liberty on this deal. You’re buying a promise built on decades of imprisonment!”

”So, friend, think twice. Are you going to spend two thousand US dollars to buy a ’second-hand hassle’ that might get you a murder charge? Or spend nine thousand US dollars for a perfectly functioning, clean-identity ghost partner?”

Under the fat man’s endless chatter, Lin Yu’an weighed the gun in one hand, his fingers sliding along the cuts of the MLOK handguard, feeling the cold metal texture.

He inspected the rifling and bolt, the fat man’s words confirming his judgment. Choosing Daniel Defense is a choice for physical reliability. And what the fat man just said confirmed the reliability of the rules here.

”I’ll take two.” Lin Yu’an’s voice was unwavering. ”Also, get me forty Magpul PMAG magazines, seven thousand rounds of 5.56mm training ammo and three thousand rounds of M855A1 enhanced performance ammunition.”

At hearing the precise military designation ”M85-5-A-1,” the fat man’s eyebrows inadvertently lifted.

This is not the ordinary 5.56mm bullet commonly found on the range, but active-duty US military ammunition with a steel penetrator, effectively countering light covers and bulletproof equipment, a high-risk hot commodity priced per round on the black market.

”No problem.” The fat man’s face was all smiles, this was a big deal.

The fat man immediately started pressing on a calculator, speaking to himself: ”DDM4 two units, eighteen thousand. PMAG magazines, fifty each on the black market, forty for two thousand.”

”Ordinary 5.56 training rounds, large volume discount, one dollar each, seven thousand rounds is seven thousand. M855A1 is military spec, high risk, three dollars each, three thousand rounds, nine thousand.”

He looked up and named a total price: ”Rifles and parts together total thirty-six thousand US dollars.”

At this price, Lin Yu’an didn’t even blink.

”In addition,” he pointed to the Staccato P behind the glass counter, equipped with an optic sight interface. ”How much for this?”

Staccato, formerly famous as STI, is synonymous with top-tier 2011 pistols (double-stack mag version of 1911), known for its competition-grade precision and excellent shooting feel, a choice for many US law enforcement SWAT teams.

”Staccato P, competition-grade precision, standard for many SWATs, around three thousand on the legal market. I have the ghost version with the number removed, seven thousand US dollars.”

”Two,” Lin Yu’an added, ”With ten spare magazines and 3000 rounds of Hornady’s 9mm Critical Duty ammo.”

The fat man pressed the calculator again: ”Two pistols, fourteen thousand. Spare magazines, one hundred each, ten for one thousand. Hornady’s hollow points, one point five per round, three thousand rounds for four thousand five.”

He quoted the total again: ”The handgun part, totaling nineteen thousand five hundred US dollars.”

”Total, fifty-five thousand five hundred US dollars.” The fat man looked at Lin Yu’an, his eyes full of expectation, ”Cash deal, I’ll cut a bit off, fifty-five thousand, what do you say, friend?”

”Alright.” Lin Yu’an’s response was straightforward, as if he were buying a used car.

This easy closing of a huge transaction made the fat man glow with excitement, unable to resist saying a bit more: ”Two top-spec DDM4s, plus two Staccatos... buddy, are you planning a big job?”

Before the fat man’s voice fell, Lin Yu’an’s eyes subtly turned cold.