Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World

Chapter 372: Chapter 210: Zhuge Repeating Crossbow

The blueprint was unfurled, revealing the design of a cleverly crafted crossbow arrow.

The crossbow depicted on the blueprint was completely different from ordinary ones. Not only did it lack the conventional crossbow mechanism, but a large wooden box was situated above the usual arrow slot, with a protruding lever positioned at the rear of the box.

In addition to the overall design, the blueprint also included detailed breakdown illustrations.

As an industry expert, Huang Lao quickly grasped the blueprint’s intricacies and deduced the purpose of this crossbow arrow.

Upon raising his head again, Huang Lao’s eyes were filled with astonishment: ”Young friend, can this crossbow perform continuous shots?”

Huang Lao’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

Among weapons of similar caliber, the destructive power of crossbow arrows was not only formidable but often exceeded that of other weapons. This was because the damage dealt by a crossbow was tied solely to the grade of material used to craft the arrows and not strongly dependent on the user’s strength. As long as the user had the strength to pull the string, they could operate it.

Due to this unique feature, many direct heirs of powerful families equipped themselves with high-quality crossbows!

Such a weapon was not only used for self-defense but could sometimes enable the wielder to defeat opponents of higher rank. Especially after Huang Lao introduced silencers to the market, the sales of crossbow treasure weapons soared significantly!

However, even though silencers addressed one major flaw of crossbows, they struggled to become mainstream weapons due to yet another critical weakness: the inability to deliver stable and sustained firepower in a short period!

Reloading arrows was incredibly time-consuming, and in life-and-death battles, it was rare to even get an opportunity to fire a second shot. As a result, while many people purchased crossbows, they primarily treated them as secondary weapons. To truly elevate the crossbow to the same level of prominence as other weapons, the issue of sustained firepower had to be solved!

Having resolved the sound issue, Huang Lao had also pondered this problem. He convened several Yellow Level Top-grade and even Low Grade Mystical Level artifact refiners for discussion and research, but ultimately, no practical solution was proposed. Now, the blueprint provided by Gu Sheng was a real eye-opener.

The design Gu Sheng presented this time had a remarkable name in his previous life—it was called the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow!

Legend had it that Zhuge Liang invented this special crossbow, known for its simple structure, ease of use, and ability to continuously and rapidly fire multiple arrows!

Gu Sheng had been captivated by the weapon’s name while playing ”Three Kingdoms Kill,” and later researched extensively online. He even attempted to assemble a simplified version, which, while capable of continuous firing, was extremely labor-intensive and disappointingly weak. He never figured out which part of the process had gone wrong.

But these concerns didn’t bother Gu Sheng now. He only needed to provide a rough direction; with Huang Lao’s expertise, the finer details would naturally be perfected.

”That’s right! This creation is called the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow! The arrow box atop it is a specialized container for storing arrows! During firing, simply push and pull the lever repeatedly to complete the chambering and shooting process!”

Gu Sheng pointed to the breakdown illustration and explained: ”The arrow box is connected to the crossbow body via a specially designed groove. Replacing it merely requires unlocking and sliding it out, making it very convenient! Based on this design, a single arrow box can allow for continuous firing of fifty arrows! And look here, this is a lever mechanism—by using this, it takes very little effort to pull the bowstring. Not only does this enable rapid shooting, but it also lowers the entry threshold for using crossbows.”

”What is a lever mechanism?” Huang Lao asked curiously, his interest sparked by the exquisite design.

”Well, this brings us to Archimedes’ lever principle! This...” Midway through his explanation, Gu Sheng suddenly stopped. He realized that in this world, there was no such historical figure as Archimedes. To avoid further questioning, he quickly changed the topic: ”Anyway, you don’t need to delve too deeply into this. Just know that this mechanism saves a lot of effort!”

”The structure of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow is not complex—it shouldn’t pose much difficulty for you. How about crafting a prototype first to test it out?”

Huang Lao was a practical craftsman. After asking a few more detailed questions, he immediately began forging.

Since this was just a prototype, Gu Sheng advised Huang Lao to use ordinary refined iron for crafting. Once the theory was verified, creating a treasure-grade weapon later wouldn’t be a problem.

With Huang Lao’s skills, working with refined iron was child’s play. In just about two hours, the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow took basic form!

After installing the bowstring materials, Huang Lao eagerly began crafting arrows to match the arrow box dimensions.

Another hour passed, and the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, forged from refined iron, was officially completed!

”Quick! Try it out!” Huang Lao, unable to contain his excitement, handed the finished product to Gu Sheng. Though he followed the blueprint to craft the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, he didn’t yet know how to use it, particularly the intricate lever mechanism.

Gu Sheng received the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow and fixed the arrow box onto it. He pushed the lever upward, and with a subtle click, an arrow from the box was chambered. He then pulled the lever back, and with a swoosh, two arrows were fired in quick succession. The entire process was smooth and seamless, with no hint of jamming.

Gu Sheng was secretly amazed—he hadn’t expected Huang Lao to successfully forge it on his first attempt. Skill in this field was indeed unmatched!

Gu Sheng steadied the crossbow, rapidly pulling the lever. The sound of arrows swishing through the air was constant. In just a few breaths, all fifty arrows in the box were fired!