"Well, this is also a Desert Eagle, .50 caliber, but it's a special version," the clerk said to Jiang Hai after hesitating for a moment.
The general .50 Desert Eagle has a gun length of 270 mm, with a barrel length of 250 mm.
However, this gun is specially made with a heavier front, giving it a look similar to the extra-large pistols seen in movies. It feels very majestic when you pick it up. Of course, the increased weight in the front boosts the firing speed, so not only does it look impressive when you take it out, but the recoil also increases. Nevertheless, Jiang Hai fell in love with this gun at first sight.
"This is it. Take it out, and I'll try it in the back!" Looking at the gun, Jiang Hai's eyes were shining, and he said excitedly.
"Okay..." After a brief hesitation, the clerk nodded, seeing Jiang Hai's excitement. At worst, he would add some protective gear for Jiang Hai, at least to ensure his wrist wouldn't break.
However, Jiang Hai wasn't concerned about that. After choosing the pistol, he was ready to pick out a shotgun and a large-caliber semi-automatic rifle.
Both choices were easy to make. Rifles, however, are restricted. The legendary M16, AUG, AK, etc., which Jiang Hai was familiar with, are not available for purchase. Only semi-automatic rifles are allowed, which means rifles that fire one bullet per trigger pull—nothing like the automatic guns that fire a continuous stream of bullets. High-powered sniper rifles, such as the AWP and Barrett, are also prohibited.
The most important restriction is that the magazine for rifles cannot hold more than five rounds. On the black market, a 30-round rifle magazine can cost more than the gun itself, because legally, you can only buy five-round magazines.
So, Jiang Hai wasn't very interested in these guns. In the end, with Robbins' help, he chose a Remington M870P shotgun. The only advantage of this gun is that it can use deer bullets like a hunting rifle. Even if he goes hunting in the future, it will still be useful. Additionally, he picked an Austrian AUG. Although expensive, it can also be used as a semi-sniper rifle, so Jiang Hai decided to buy one.
After choosing three guns, it was time for the test shooting. This is considered a preliminary selection, and if the guns weren't suitable, they could be exchanged.
In U.S. gun stores, you also have to pay for the test shooting, but the fees are minimal. The target paper costs two dollars, pistol bullets are 30 dollars for 100 rounds, and rifle rounds cost 20 dollars for 100 rounds. Renting a gun is 10 dollars, and you can change guns as many times as you like.
Additionally, there is a fee for renting a target position. This store charges a bit more—30 dollars per hour. All added together, including guidance and tips, Jiang Hai spent a total of 100 dollars. After paying, he began his shooting experience.
Since it was his first time shooting, the first gun he tried was the AUG, as it was equipped with a scope.
It was also his first time handling a gun, and it would be embarrassing if his shots were off, so he planned to focus on accuracy.
Under the guidance of the staff, he adopted the basic standing position, holding the gun and aiming at the target.
"Be careful when shooting; the recoil of this gun isn't small..."
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..." Before the staff member finished speaking, Jiang Hai had already pulled the trigger.
In an instant, the bullet flew straight toward the paper target. To the surprise of everyone, the magazine of five bullets was emptied instantly, leaving five bullet holes in the center of the paper target. However, of these five marks, three were in the eight-ring, and two were in the seven-ring, with no shots even reaching the nine-ring.
"Uh, what a poor result," Jiang Hai said, putting down the gun and looking at the five bullet holes in front of him with a chuckle.
But he didn't realize that his performance had shocked everyone around him.
The staff and Robbins had been paying close attention to Jiang Hai, fearing that the recoil would be too strong and that Jiang Hai might be thrown off balance. It would have been a hassle, but surprisingly, the recoil of the AUG, while noticeable, didn't affect Jiang Hai at all.
Seeing this, Robbins couldn't help but recall the time he had gone shopping with Jiang Hai. It seemed that Jiang Hai's physical fitness was truly incredible. That body, which didn't appear particularly strong, concealed an immense amount of power—quite a terrifying thought.
After trying the AUG, Jiang Hai tested the Remington, which was a scattergun. Once fired, it would cover a wide area. Even when set, the spray angle of the bullets was 120 degrees, hitting a broad area with one shot. This gun was suitable for hunting but far less useful for everyday situations. Still, as Robbins had said, whether this gun was useful or not didn't matter—it had to be prepared for any scenario.
The last weapon to try was the special Desert Eagle, with a .50 caliber, which made the staff nervous.
They put protective gear on Jiang Hai before letting him test fire. After a few shots, Jiang Hai did feel some recoil, which was about twice as strong as the AUG's, but it was within his tolerance. Then he took off the protective gear and fired with one hand. The recoil was barely noticeable, but with two hands, the gun's power was much greater than that of the AUG.
Jiang Hai was quite satisfied and decided to purchase these three guns, along with the accompanying set and a large amount of ammunition.
After spending a total of 20,000 dollars, they loaded everything into the back seat of the F750.
"Okay, let's go back!" Robbins said with a stretch and a smile as he exited the gun store.
Jiang Hai had the same idea, but just as he was about to get into the car, he suddenly noticed a small convenience store across from the gun store. However, this store was different from ordinary ones—it had four Chinese characters on the sign: Zhang's Store.
"A store run by Chinese?" Jiang Hai thought, surprised. His pace slowed as he was about to get in the car.
"Hey, Jiang, what's wrong?" Robbins, who had already gotten in, asked curiously.
"Oh, I just want to buy a few things," Jiang Hai replied with a smile, then walked toward the store.
"Welcome, please take a look." As soon as he entered, a voice greeted him. The English was slightly unfamiliar, and Jiang Hai turned to see a young girl standing at the cashier. Looking at her appearance, she seemed to be Asian and knew how to respond politely. Jiang Hai nodded gently and walked into the store.
Once inside, he was pleasantly surprised by the variety of items.
"Laoganma, garlic chili sauce, bean paste, sweet noodle sauce... This is really a small Chinese supermarket. There are even vegetables here, and this rice is from Northeast China. It smells great!" After entering, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile.
There were indeed a lot of items, and they all had a familiar, homely feel. Although Jiang Hai had been in the U.S. for less than a month, he was already a little tired of eating Western food every day. Sometimes he craved noodles with soy sauce, but there was no sauce to stir-fry them with. Ketchup just wouldn't work; it wouldn't taste right.
That morning, he had wanted some, and now, seeing it for sale in the afternoon, it was a very pleasant surprise, even though the prices for these sauces were a bit shocking.
They were very expensive. A single bottle here cost as much as an entire bottle back home. But what could he do? It wasn't like he could have someone ship it from China!
Without hesitation, Jiang Hai grabbed a basket and started filling it. He picked up two bottles of Lao Gan Ma, four bottles of garlic chili sauce, four bottles of bean paste, soy sauce, and vinegar—items that were hard to find in the U.S. He also grabbed a 10-kilogram bag of rice from Northeast China. Most people know that the best rice in the world comes from Japan, Korea, and Northeast China.
Originally, Northeast China didn't grow rice, just like the song "On the Songhua River" describes, where soybeans and sorghum were everywhere. Rice was only planted by the people of Northeast China during the Japanese invasion.
After the Japanese were defeated, the locals continued planting rice, as the land there is fertile enough to support it. The black soil there is incredibly rich, yielding high rice harvests with excellent taste. Heilongjiang Province, in particular, produces the best rice in the world.
This rice is fragrant, chewy, and delicious. A 10-kilogram bag in the U.S. costs around 110 dollars—far more expensive than gold.
But Jiang Hai still bought a bag. After purchasing the rice and sauces, he moved to the vegetable section. Although most vegetables were available in the U.S., there were some rare ones here, like bamboo fungus eggs, Hericium erinaceus and yam.
Although Jiang Hai wasn't too concerned with vegetables, when he saw pine mushrooms nearby, he couldn't help but salivate. Pine mushrooms are a specialty of Northeast China and grow only in the wild.
Jiang Hai remembered when he was young, not liking mushrooms, until his father cooked pine mushrooms one time when his mother was away. After that, he fell in love with them.