Chapter 119: A World That's Scary Just by Its Name
"Your progress is incredible, kid."
Chris couldn't help but praise him, watching the bullet create a high-speed current, draw a perfect arc, bypass the concrete column in front, and nail the target behind it dead center.
"Not bad, not bad. Your talent is even stronger than I expected. I figured it'd take three days to get to this level, but you've nailed this technique in less than two."
Listening to Chris's praise, Wesley forced an awkward smile.
He didn't even know he had this kind of talent.
If he hadn't been pushed to the absolute limit, who'd want to endure this kind of boot camp from hell?
Since waking up in that hotel, Wesley hadn't gotten a moment's rest in these two days.
Even eating and drinking were replaced by those weird energy drinks; he relied on those mystery potions to keep going when he was exhausted or starving.
It was this intense training, combined with the dragon blood serum activating his abilities, that allowed Wesley to accomplish in just two days what would normally take over a month.
Fox watched the perfect curve Wesley's bullet made, and though she was shocked inside, her face stayed neutral.
After a pause, she said, "Since he's ready, let's go take care of business."
"So soon? Shouldn't he rest first?"
Those words didn't come from the physically and mentally drained Wesley, but from Chris.
Although Wesley had transformed during these two days of brutal training, completely shedding his former wimpy and cowardly self, he was still scared as hell when facing his three instructors who'd put him through this transformation.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't even dare to speak up.
So even when Fox—who ranked lowest in his mental hierarchy of people to fear—spoke, he didn't dare refuse.
That's why tears welled up in Wesley's eyes when Chris spoke up for him. He hadn't expected the Master to be so considerate; he was truly too kind.
Unfortunately, this positive impression hadn't even fully formed before Chris himself destroyed it, and destroyed it completely.
"Why don't you just give Wesley the address and let him handle the mission solo? There aren't any real badasses inside anyway, and Sloan's lost most of his muscle. He should be able to manage."
Chris didn't actually care if Wesley was tired; he and Fox had been having a great time these past two days, so naturally he wanted to show more consideration for her.
However, Fox didn't appreciate Chris's concern.
"No need, I'm not tired."
Fox was determined to prove whether Sloan really was the selfish, hypocritical power-hungry manipulator Chris claimed.
Though she was already ninety percent convinced, without finding concrete evidence, she couldn't bring herself to believe that the man who'd raised and trained her could be someone who betrayed fate and deceived the organization.
Wesley, watching the two exchange glances, felt his heart sink. Of course you're not tired; you've been eating good food and sleeping soundly these past two days. How could you be tired?
But I'm exhausted!
While the magic potion provided plenty of energy, the mental fatigue was impossible to shake off.
Especially since Wesley had learned things in these two days that normal people would take a lifetime to even begin understanding, the accumulated exhaustion was absolutely draining.
Stewie noticed Wesley's internal complaints and chuckled quietly, "Heh heh heh, this guy's turning more and more into Peter's pathetic self."
Chris glanced down at Stewie, ignoring the bratty baby's snarky comments.
However, considering that Wesley really was dead tired, Chris changed his approach and said gently, "Wesley! I know you're wiped out right now, but think about it—as soon as you take down that damn Assassin Brotherhood, you'll fulfill your father's lifelong mission, and you'll prove yourself..."
Hearing the familiar motivational speech, Wesley's eyes glazed over, his body appearing to listen intently, but his mind had already checked out and drifted off to la-la land.
"Forget it. For the sake of our teacher-student relationship, I'll give you a hand."
Chris tapped his wristband, and a ripple appeared in the air. Then, a rifle with a weird design, like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, materialized.
"Here, don't say your teacher doesn't look out for you. This is the most powerful weapon I've got, and I'm lending it to you to mess around with."
"What is this?" Wesley took the strangely shaped gun. It was heavy as hell, and he immediately knew this wasn't any ordinary piece.
Fox, standing nearby, also got curious, not understanding what this special firearm was for.
Looking at the two curious people, Chris grinned, "You two remember the explosion that night?"
"You mean..." Fox's pupils dilated as she recalled the unknown attack that night.
She'd originally thought Chris had hit her with a rocket launcher.
But listening to Chris now, the destructive power comparable to a rocket strike was actually caused by this weird-looking gun.
"That's right, it's this bolter!"
Before Fox could finish her thought, Chris nodded, confirming her suspicion.
Wesley, who'd been examining the strange firearm, heard the gun's name and looked at Chris in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.
As a young, basement-dwelling nerd, surfing the internet was one of his few pleasures.
So information about Warhammer 40K had inevitably seeped into his brain through various websites and forums.
He'd naturally heard of the infamous bolter from that universe's lore.
Similarly, he had a general idea of that world's grimdark setting and mountains of screwed-up backstory.
So when Chris said this gun was a bolter, Wesley connected it with Chris's powerful, massive build, along with all the advanced tech he'd been pulling out, and it all pointed to one possibility.
This dude is a Space Marine who traveled here from the Warp!
The moment this thought entered Wesley's mind, another thought followed immediately.
We're screwed; this world is doomed!
Fortunately, among the four people here, except for Wesley who hadn't fully shed his loser identity, the other three were exceptional individuals with their own special talents.
Before Stewie could take advantage of the situation to mess with Wesley, Chris smacked him upside the head.
"You idiot! What kind of nonsense are you thinking?"
"Uh..." Wesley stared blankly at Chris, no trace of defiance in his eyes.
"'Uh' what? This gun was built by my little brother, and it's got nothing to do with that grimdark hellscape you're thinking about. If anything, only the name and firepower are similar."
Fox looked at Stewie in confusion, not understanding why Wesley had freaked out just from hearing the gun's name.
However, Stewie looked annoyed and couldn't be bothered to explain things to this woman who was shacking up with Chris.
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