Millie and Lobaev were not ecstatic about the payout for some reasons, but I was. It was a huge amount of money, it felt like winning a lottery for only driving a person from one place to another.
"Truth be told, we got less payout than you, Beuer. You get 35,000, we only get 32,500 credits each. So, overall, you got paid much more, but oh well, I can get another mission," Millie uttered.
"Yeah, but still, we have 500,000 in our accounts, so you're not above us yet, Beuer."
"Of course, I won't forget that. So, before we part ways again, any tips for me?" I asked.
"Buy a car, an armor, and perhaps, a better weapon? Trust me, an AR-15 might do well against NPC, but against players," Lobaev coughed, "the chads, you better use full-automatic. They sprayed bullets at you with an unrealistic accuracy."
"Noted," I said.
"Take Millie, for example, a level 100 player went after her bounty, he managed to kill both of us. He first shot an RPG at our car, then sprayed our body with a machine gun at deadly accuracy. Want to know the death reports? 50 bullets on my torso and 100 bullets on Millie's," Lobaev said.
"Ouch."
"The point is a car, an armor, and a full-auto. Alright, I have to go."
Millie and Lobaev entered their car and they went outside of the outpost. Great, now what? I didn't even know where I could access a car or buy a car. Perhaps, buy them at the motor pool? Well, I didn't know.
Still, I knew where to buy armor or equipment. It might be a good idea for my first stop. And where should I even sleep? My eyes felt heavy. Even for a game-like world, this was too realistic for my taste. Then again, Lobaev and Millie seemed to be real people playing this game, unlike me.
I headed for the main building to buy the armor that I needed. I had returned the armor that I had borrowed so I needed to buy a new one. Perhaps, I could buy expensive armor or something.
In the armory, I checked any armor that I could find. Considering how damage worked on individual body parts instead of a health bar, all-around protection might work better in this scenario. From what I learned, at least, I knew that you wouldn't die from being shot in the legs multiple times. However, one shot to the head can be very fatal.
I'd love to buy a plate carrier, but it would probably only protect my chess and nowhere else. So, I preferred to buy something more standard instead of the usual spec-ops thing. The option was only ranging from the Russian stuff to the American stuff. Both of them offered the same type of protection, more or less.
[IOTV Gen 1] [MOD 0] [3,000 Credits]
A standard-issue ballistic vest worn by American Troops during the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq. It will protect the user's torso with hard armor plates on the front, back, and sides alongside fragmentation protection. This is the vest-only version with is soft armor insert, plates are sold separately.
Armor Equipped: Type 3A Soft Armor Inserts.
Effect: [-30% Mobility]
Yeah, IOTV, albeit protecting the body of a soldier, was also known to be very very heavy. It limited mobility when needed and it also increased the chance of being engaged thanks to its heavy weight.
Not really shitty armor, but it was still something else. I picked up the vest and put it on top of the counter. The same soldier offered me to buy the armor plates. Of course, I would accept it. What was the purpose of buying a ballistic vest without its plates?
"Sure, I want the armor plates, what options do I have?" I asked.
"Level III, Level III+, Level IV, Level IV+"
"Let's take the Level IV+," I said.
"What material?"
"What are my options?" I asked.
"You have four options, at least. The most expensive one is the UHMWPE, followed by Boron Carbide, then Silicon Carbide, then you got the cheapest one, Alumunium Oxide," the armorer said.
"What's the difference?" I asked again.
"UHMWPE has both the durability and the weight advantage. Boron Carbide has the most durability then followed by Silicon Carbide, then the last one, Alumunium Oxide," the armorer said.
"I take the Boron Carbide then."
"It will be all 7,000 credits. Payment up front. Anything else?" He asked.
"Helmet, any recommendation?"
"PASGT. Best bet for your level is PASGT, not too expensive, but not too cheap either. It's 1,000 credits for one, you want it too?" He asked.
"Yeah, put it all on my account."
[Confirmation of Purchase?] [Yes] [No]
I pressed the yes button. The vest and the helmet appeared on the counter and I picked them up. I put my tactical rig away and put the vest over my body. It felt bulky, I wouldn't lie about it. However, I felt less exposed wearing that armor.
The helmet was another good addition as well. It would protect me against fragmentation and low penetration rounds. The next stop would be the rifle, it was only available on the armory. However, the attachment on the AR-15 was very much decent. I stripped the scope so I wouldn't have to buy a new one.
Could I sell the weapon to the armorer, though? I put the AR-15 on the counter and asked him how much he would pay for it. Surprisingly, he answered.
"A stripped out budget AR-15, eh? How about 600 credits?"
"Can I ask for more?" I asked.
"Sorry, kid, can't do."
"Fine. Here ya go."
The armorer took the AR-15 and put it right below the counter. Fund was transferred into my account afterwards. Still, as far as I knew, guns were cheaper than the armor, and that was something good. I could collect as many guns as I wanted without worrying too much about funds.
"I bet my arse you want an M4 right now," the armorer said.
"Not really, I prefer an M16A4," I replied.
"Oh, nice choice."
The armorer put a fresh M16A4 rifle on top of the table. It was still clean and unscratched. There wasn't any sight attached on top of it. It was an M16A4 to its bare bones. I would like to buy it, of course.
"How much is it?"
"5,000 credits."
I picked up the rifle so the interaction menu appeared again. Reading the description of the rifle was awkwardly satisfying, to be honest. Especially since I used some of the rifles and I also had my personal opinion of it.
[M16A4] [MOD 0]
A standard-issue rifle produced by United States military and its allies. This version is able to be fired in full-auto while maintaining several feature of the standard M16 rifle. It has the same feature of a regular AR-15.
Ammo: 5.56 x 45
Attachment: -
Strength requirement: 10 (Warning: Strength Requirement Not Fulfilled) (+5% ADS time) (-5% Movement Speed) (+5% All-Directional Recoil)
No wonder why the rifle had more strength requirement, the rifle was indeed heavier, coupled with the fact that it could be fired from full-auto. Still, all in all, I wanted that thing over any rifle.
[Confirmation of Purchase?] [Yes] [No]
I pressed the yes button, again. The armorer gave a nod and the rifle was mine. I got out of the armory since I didn't need anything at this point. However, the last item on the list, I hadn't purchased it yet. I didn't know how to buy a car.
Suddenly….
[Incoming Call: Millie] [Answer?] [Yes] [No]
I answered the call. I wondered how she could call me like that without any smart phone. It might be a feature that I didn't know at all.
"Ey man, how's it going? How's your car?" Millie asked.
"I haven't purchased it yet, how can I even buy any vehicle?" I asked her back.
"Duh, you go to the motor pool, ask the motor pool officer and a vehicle list would appear. It's that easy. Anyway, try to stray away from cheap vehicle, alright?" Millie said.
"Sure, and how do you even call me?"
"The watch? Didn't you notice the watch on your hand?" Millie asked.
"Yes, but what does the watch do?"
"It's a holographic watch, duh. You press it and hologram screen would appear," Millie said as she closed the call. How old was she again? What a manner to close the call in the middle. I just sighed.
I headed outside of the command center. It was dark outside. The sun had come down completely and the road connecting to the other outposts was dark. I didn't find a need to buy a car, plus, the fatigue on this game was very real. It was better for me to go to the empty player barrack.