Mr. Gustave Gunnell sat in his office, slowly manicing his nails.

From his birth to this world, Mr. Gunnell has spent fifty years on the planet Nedrand in the Westtrop constellation. He can be considered a genius - a genius of precision manufacturing.

Since he was a child, he liked to fiddle with all kinds of delicate mechanical or electronic devices, relying on delicate fingers and precise spatial sense, closing his eyes and restoring them one by one. At the age of fourteen, he became fascinated by the manufacture of firearms, and a few years later entered a military factory, where he soon became one of the leading experts in his profession.

After the outbreak of the war between Nedland and Vermont, Mr. Gunnell's arsenal became the government's main arms supplier, and batches of weapons designed and improved by him played a huge role in the war, defeating the Vermont army to the point of not being able to lift its head. This has given Mr. Gunnell an excellent reputation. But when the war ended, rumors began to spread viciously, attacking him for secretly providing a large number of weapons to the ** forces of the planet Lewando in the Yafriga constellation, which not only outwhelmed the government forces in terms of firepower, but were also used to carry out ethnic cleansing and massacres.

Mr. Gunnell was prosecuted, but there was no evidence that he actually benefited from it. It is true that many of the weapons used in the armament were developed and improved by him, but they could be obtained through many other sources. Boutique products will always be circulating. What's more, in order to recover the inferior equipment, Lewando's government army also spent a lot of money to purchase more sophisticated weapons from the Nedland Planet official, which brought huge benefits to the Nedland government's treasury. As a result, the charges against him were dropped. But Mr. Gunnell, believing that his dignity and reputation had been violated, resigned from the arsenal and two years ago traveled to the distant planet of Kiput to open his own gun shop in Puerto Alexandro, selling small-powered guns licensed by the Interstellar Convention.

His business is booming, and a large number of customers are known from all planetary systems. Some customers come to buy a well-crafted pistol or shotgun, both for self-defense and for safe hunting activities at their leisure; Some were only for the sake of collecting, and generously donated to get a weapon with his own signature and a G-G (an initialized for Gustave Gunnell) stamped under the number of the gun; Of course, there were many unusual clients, whom Mr. Gunnell would receive in his private office and listen to their requests that were not appropriate for discussion in public.

Now Mr. Gunnell is waiting for such a customer.

The intermediary told Mr. Gunnell that the customer did not represent any organization and was contacting him in his personal capacity. It is not accurate to say that he was waiting, because the time agreed with the customer was 9 o'clock in the morning, and at the same time as 9 o'clock, the communicator on the table in front of Mr. Gunnell buzzed, and the hologram of his secretary was projected: "Mr. Gunnell, Mr. Vicky from Spartan is coming to make an appointment." ”

"Ask him to come in." Mr. Gunnell checked his finger again and got up to greet him.

His guest looked young and had a calm expression, but Mr. Gunnell sensed from experience that he was no ordinary firearms enthusiast interested in small-caliber weapons of destruction.

"How about a drink?"

The guest waved his hand slightly: "You are at your own convenience." ”

Mr. Gunnell motioned for the guest to sit down in the leather chair across from the desk, "Joseph introduced you, Mr. Wicked. I trust him, he's my old patron anymore. He told me that you were here for personal needs and wanted something special. Can you elaborate? ”

Vicky nodded: "Yes, I need a custom-made gun." There are some big people who have a lot of trouble, and it's my job to get rid of that trouble for them. Of course, these troublemakers are closely protected, and getting them done requires careful planning and preparation. An ordinary gun won't do what I'm looking for. ”

"Good, good." Mr. Gunnell nodded encouragingly, "Please continue." ”

"It's a sniper gun, but it has to be guaranteed to hit the target accurately with some specific limitations."

Mr. Gunnell's eyes narrowed: "What kind of restriction is it?" ”

"Size limitations. It needs to be easy to camouflage, it has to be easy to disassemble and assemble, it looks like a set of ordinary tools when taken apart, it is easy to carry, it can easily pass through all security checks, and when assembled, it can be done quickly in a very short time. ”

Mr. Gunnell nodded slightly, sketching out the shape of such a particular sniper rifle in his mind.

He said slowly, "Good, good. It's special. This can't be a PWA-type gun, because it's too heavy, and such a heavy set of tools will seriously affect your actions and arouse suspicion from others. It can't be the RS-66 model, the butt of this gun is too large to be easily disassembled, and the barrel caliber of the Depaj type is appropriate, but it is too long. This can only be a custom-made gun, and it is possible that it will only be used once. Are you going to use a laser beam or a blaster? ”

Wiki replied: "Burst bombs." The laser beam is easily polarized by the interference of the energy shield, and my target will definitely wear armor in the most important parts, and even if it passes through the armor, the power of the laser will be greatly reduced, and it may not be able to cause fatal damage. If I had to use this gun, I had to guarantee a lethal hit. “

Mr. Gunnell nodded approvingly: "Then we need a rifle that shoots bursting rounds, but that means you have to shoot shorter." At what distance do you expect to shoot? ”

"I can't predict it yet, but it's probably within 800 meters."

"800 meters? Sorry sir, I mean to offend, are you right? I mean—is it very accurate? ”

Vicky nodded in reply.

"I see, you're an expert, an expert of my level." Mr. Gunnell rubbed his hands excitedly: "I like to deal with real experts. Famous utensils are for famous teachers. ”

He was now in full swing of his profession, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, leaned over the table and drew at a rapid pace. After a few minutes, he pointed out a sketch to the guest:

"You see, I can use the DePaje as a model, but the barrel has to be sawn short, so that it loses accuracy when shooting at long distances. Despite the scope assistance, it's your archery that counts. You just mentioned that it should be easy to disassemble and install, as well as to facilitate camouflage. I recommend making a prosthetic leg, which can be a hand or a leg. The former was too thin, and it was difficult to place other parts except the barrel, and the only advantage was that the tip of the prosthesis could be designed as a butt. It's better to make legs so that I can take the parts of the gun apart and put them together. Barrels, triggers, stocks, sights, and much more. Of course, you'll need to tie your real leg to your thigh from below the knee, which will be uncomfortable, so time your disguise. A muffler is required, right, I suppose? Then I'll get the muffler ready to go in as well. ”

Viki looked at the sketch silently, and although it was hastily drafted, it was delicate and detailed, just as he had expected. He couldn't help but wonder if all the real experts in this galaxy were concentrated in this city?

"How? Mr? Mr. Gunnell asked expectantly.

"Good, at least on paper." Vicky said quietly.

"When you get it, it's going to be better than what you see now." Mr. Gunnell replied confidently.

"I hope so. How long will it take? ”

"If you start all from scratch, it will take about a month. I can also use a DePaje rifle for modification, so that it can be done in half a month. ”

Vicky thought for a moment, "I don't have much time, so you can modify it." ”

"Yes, sir. You'd better come back to the Humble House a few days in advance, when the gun should be ready, you can check if it's agreeable, and if there's anything that needs to be adjusted, I'll have time to deal with it for you. ”

Wiki agrees. He asked, "How much do you want to pay for such a gun?" ”

Mr. Gunnell looked at his finger and thought, "It's not cheap, sir. You know, this gun will be a masterpiece. It is not only a murderous weapon, but also a work of art in a sniper rifle, and its particularity determines that it is unique. I would do the whole gun myself, from milling the chamber to baking the screws. For my design and craftsmanship, you have to pay 10,000 stats. In addition, I had to buy a De Paje, a muffler and a new scope, and other equipment necessary for assembly. These will cost about 2500 STD. That's a total of twelve thousand five hundred stads. Sorry I don't charge kiput pounds. ”

"Agreed. I'll pay you 2500 stadt first. Twelve days later, on the 26th, I came to inspect the gun as you had just agreed. No problem, pay you the remaining 10,000 stats right away. Vicky said dryly, pulling out a stack of banknotes that had been tied up and pushing it onto the table.

Mr. Gunnell smiled with satisfaction, and looked as if he had inadvertently laundered the money with his fingers, and had in fact counted it neatly, twenty-five. The brand-new ticket made a "pop" sound, which made him feel happy.

But the next words of the wiki somewhat spoiled the peaceful atmosphere: "Of course, Mr. Gunnell, I believe you should understand that if you inquire about my identity or plans, it will cause you unnecessary trouble. This hurt his self-esteem slightly.

He said categorically: "Sir, I am only interested in the work itself that the client has given me, and as for who you are and who you want to target, I don't want to know at all. ”

After saying that, he felt a little regretful for his tone. He doesn't want to offend customers, especially those who pay happily. He was about to say something to undo his faux pas, when Wiki stood up. His tone was as calm as ever, and he didn't seem offended: "Excellent. Well, we'll see you on the 26th, Mr. Gunnell. ”