Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 304: Chapter 173: White Trolling the New Crossbow

”This is Cotton Ironwood. Although it’s a type of wood and its texture is loose and porous, its hardness is not inferior to refined steel. It should have excellent... uh, what’s that term again?” Old Huang suddenly paused, thinking of the right word.

”Energy absorption,” Gu Sheng, who had been intently observing Old Huang’s techniques, immediately knew what he wanted to say. However, the concept of energy absorption was too foreign to Old Huang, so he couldn’t recall it right away. Gu Sheng casually reminded him.

”Ah yes, energy absorption! Based on your description, the shrapnel inside is primarily meant to cut and block sound. That’s why I specifically chose Cotton Ironwood. Not only does it have sufficient strength, but its energy absorption properties should make the silencing effect even better.”

After the shrapnel was crafted and installed, Old Huang pulled out a piece of dark green, somewhat fluffy seaweed from the pile of materials on the table.

”This is a special type of seaweed from the ocean. Its texture is soft, and it’s filled with many tiny pores. It’s usually used in large, precision-engineered machinery as a cushioning material. I think its energy absorption effect should be quite good as well.”

Gu Sheng picked up the seaweed and gave it a light squeeze. Its texture felt soft -- it reminded him of sponge from his previous life.

Despite his age, Old Huang’s hands moved with speed, precision, and steadiness. In no more than a few minutes, he had already completed the assembly of the internal components for the second-generation silencer!

”Pass me the Stone-breaking Crossbow!”

Gu Sheng handed over the Stone-breaking Crossbow. Old Huang’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he attached the second-generation silencer to it.

Old Huang was truly worthy of his status as a Yellow Level, top-grade Forging Master. His craftsmanship far surpassed Gu Sheng’s amateurish attempts. Even without considering the functionality, the mere aesthetics of the silencer looked significantly more refined than Gu Sheng’s version.

Gu Sheng was also eager to find out how effective the second-generation silencer was. He quickly pulled out a crossbow arrow and handed it to Old Huang.

”Old Huang, let’s quickly head back and test it out!”

Old Huang opened the silencer’s cover, loaded the arrow, and smiled, ”Why go back? Let’s test it out here!”

With that, he raised the Stone-breaking Crossbow in his hands, aimed it at the wall, and pressed the trigger. Gu Sheng hadn’t expected an old guy like Old Huang to be this daring.

This forging workshop was clearly specially reinforced; the walls were made of thick granite!

Granite was incredibly sturdy. With the power of the Stone-breaking Crossbow, it was impossible to penetrate. If it had been a regular arrow, the immense force upon collision would have shattered the arrow instantly. But the problem was that Gu Sheng’s arrow was custom-made, forged from refined steel. Its hardness and flexibility were excellent. If it hit the wall, it would undoubtedly bounce back!

The room was no more than twenty to thirty meters wide. At this small distance, a rebounding arrow would be immensely powerful. Gu Sheng wasn’t confident he could handle it unscathed. As Old Huang pulled the trigger, Gu Sheng, thinking fast in a crisis, slid and dove under the nearby forging table.

The forging table was supported by granite on both ends, making it a relatively safer spot.

”Thump.”

The Stone-breaking Crossbow emitted a soft noise as the arrow shot out. When it struck the granite wall, it rebounded with a loud ”clink” and flew back in the exact direction where Gu Sheng had been standing moments earlier.

The rebounding arrow embedded itself into a rack behind them. Luckily, the rack held heavy metal blocks, which prevented it from toppling over.

”It works! It works! Hahaha...”

Old Huang’s eyes gleamed as he regarded the silencer in his hands like a treasured artifact, bursting into hearty laughter.

Gu Sheng quickly climbed out from under the forging table.

Just now, he had heard it clearly -- the sound made when the arrow was fired was incredibly faint. Standing so close to it, he could only hear a slight noise, like someone discreetly passing gas. Essentially, only the user could hear it!

This result had already far exceeded Gu Sheng’s initial expectations for the silencer!

”Quick, open it up and check the inside!”

Before Gu Sheng could even remind him, Old Huang had already taken off the cover to inspect the interior.

The Cotton Ironwood separators were intact, though they felt hot to the touch. The seaweed filler, however, was slightly scorched and worn out. Judging from its current state, it could probably only handle twenty arrow shots before needing to be replaced; otherwise, the silencing effect would degrade significantly.

Gu Sheng was equally exhilarated! The successful creation of the silencer would greatly enhance the utility of the Stone-breaking Crossbow in combat, offering them a significant advantage in their upcoming hunts!

Old Huang was also overjoyed! In truth, he had always believed that crossbow-based treasure weapons were no less effective than traditional swords, axes, and spears. Plus, they offered the added benefit of long-range capability, so they should have been primary weapons. However, crossbow treasure weapons had one glaring flaw: the more powerful they were, the louder the sound became! Many people only bought crossbow treasure weapons for sneak attacks or backline support. But with such loud noises, weren’t they just giving away their position?

This was precisely why crossbow treasure weapons had never gained widespread popularity despite their obvious advantages!

But now, it was different. The advent of the silencer would completely change this situation, dramatically amplifying the advantages of crossbow weapons! Old Huang was well aware that the introduction of silencers would spark a massive wave of interest in crossbow-based weaponry. This was a monumental business opportunity!

After a brief moment of excitement, Gu Sheng quickly found himself in a dilemma. He almost forgot -- he hadn’t participated in the crafting of the second-generation silencer, neither in the material selection nor in the forging process. Strictly speaking, the second-generation silencer had little to do with him.

The materials used for the second-generation silencer were anything but cheap. In particular, the main body was forged from Deep-sea Sinking Silver, a Yellow-Level low-grade forging material. Given Gu Sheng’s current financial situation, he couldn’t possibly afford it!