BXBX NOVEL Chapter 223: A man's heart [2/2]
"Indeed. The amount of military contracts they have been awarded is nothing short of amazing."
Like a kid in a candy store, I continued to wander among the gun cases. Then I noticed rifles that used the AR platform but had longer barrels and extended scopes. I picked one up and checked its controls.
"The one of the two guns here that is not made by Sig. This is the Heckler & Koch HK417. Also known as the M110A1 Compact Semi Automatic Sniper System. The squad designated sniper rifle used by the Army and Marines. 50 Hk417s are available for long range combat".
Snipers generally had two schools of thought. One was to take out targets farther and more accurately than 1000 yards. The other was to take out as many targets as possible at 600 to 800 yards.
The rifles that focus on the latter all use the 7.62 NATO rounds. The guns that chose the former all use much larger calibers. Due to the nature of zombies, there was no reason to aim at targets beyond 800 yards. At least not at the moment
Heckler and Koch always made quality stuff, the MP5SD was one of their works, so I had nothing to complain about. Funnily enough, almost everything I needed to buy was right here.
If only there were grenade launchers...
Before I could find them, Vincent came forward with a small gun in his hands and said.
"Here is what you are looking for, esteemed one. The M320 grenade launcher. A military version of the H&K AG36. Introduced in 2009, it still packs a punch. Of course I also have 500 40mm low velocity M433 high explosive dual purpose grenades. There are 20 M320s prepared for use.
This thing was fucking gorgeous, so much freedom in such a small package. The thought of the 2nd Amendment blowing up a bunch of undead with these brought a huge smile to my face.
Anyone who would give me such a well-stocked arsenal could not be a bad guy.
"I officially like you, Vincent. They often say the quickest way to a man's heart is to give him something to blow shit up with."
The bald gangster made an exaggerated bow when he heard my praise.
"I am honored. Please let me know where you want this arsenal delivered. I will prove to you that I am worthy of your support, my lord."
Since there were other people with us, I held back my impulse to give him my blood at that moment. I was serious when I said I liked that fat bastard now. Anyone who knew so much about weapons was a good guy in my book.
Vincent then gestured to one of the Cadillacs in the underground garage as he continued to speak.
"Now for my final gift, my lord. A Cadillac built to your specifications with a little something extra."
Vincent then snapped his fingers and about twenty of his men, carrying what looked like Ak-47s, approached. Before I could ask, the men all unloaded their weapons into the poor red Cadillac Escalade in front of me.
The symphony of gunfire unleashed lead into the poor vehicle, but against all expectations the bullets failed to do any significant damage, hell, even the glass was still in one piece.
As if the punishment was not enough, some of the men threw hand grenades at the underside of the Cadillac. The ones they were throwing were M67s, the explosives that eventually replaced the M26 grenades I was using.
The men next to me ducked for cover as both grenades exploded under the ill-fated Suv. Vincent neither ducked nor stepped back as the gust of wind from the explosion buffeted our bodies.
When the sound died and the smoke cleared, the head of the Deryck family proudly declared.
"As befits someone of your status, my lord. The Escalades here are equipped with a B7 ballistic package."
He then stepped closer and touched the bullet holes left by the savage attack.
"Its 3-inch bulletproof glass along with half-inch steel plates around the cabin, floor and roof allow the vehicle to fend off even 7.62×51mm NATO rounds. Please note, however, that due to the immense weight of the vehicle, the windows can no longer be rolled down."
Vincent then gestured to various parts of the vehicle as he continued to speak.
"The package also includes run-flat tires, an armored gas tank, and reinforced door handles. A bull bar for plowing through obstacles and a ballistic grill for radiator protection complete this mobile fortress. "
My jaw dropped at all the stuff he put in. It had to be well over a hundred thousand dollars in upgrades.
"Finally, both the brake and suspension systems have been upgraded to compensate for the extra 4,000 pounds of weight. Fortunately, since your vehicle of choice is the Cadillac Escalade-V, the V8 engine will have no problem handling the whole package."
I was dumbfounded by the extra shit he put in the car. As a Phantom, I didn't even think about armoring my car up like this. The upgrades literally turned this beast into a portable castle. If used offensively, it would be as resilient as a freight train.
'Who the hell said you can't buy your way into someone's heart? This bastard just got himself into my good books!'
Extremely pleased. I walked over to Vincent and held out my hand. The gangster took it and shook my hand in return.
"Vincent Deryck. From now on I will be your family's handler. But be prepared. I will not tolerate you bastards slacking off. Becoming my people means being part of the toughest motherfuckers in Hellsgate. Are you sure you want this?"
Ecstatic at my declaration, Vincent nodded before roaring in excitement.
"YES MY LORD! WE ARE! THANK YOU!"
It was hard to tell who of us was happier at the moment. But for the moment, I don't think that either of us really cared.