Jing Shu raised her brows as she took in the vast exhibition hall, the vaulted ceiling rising high above her head. Each item was placed neatly on a display rack like a museum piece, arranged for passersby to examine under the soft, clinical glow of the lights. Jing Shu's eyes roamed across the immense chamber, her thoughts drifting to the possibilities. The echo of her own heartbeat seemed loud in the silence. Could it be that there were also long-range weapons meant for the RV?
There weren't many. There were just over twenty in total, each one shimmering with a quiet, untouchable aura of wealth. They seemed to have no particular connection or category. Jing Shu spotted a luxury car with its paint gleaming like obsidian, a modular house that looked like a futuristic pod, and most absurdly, even a helicopter with its rotors folded back like a bird of prey. There were items both large and small, but the area drawing the most attention right now was not far away, where a crowd had gathered around a display case in curiosity. If these items had to be grouped under one label, it would be this: expensive.
Right. Before examining the object that Qian Duoduo intended to gift her, Jing Shu noticed a brass placard with elegant black ink. It read: "For Jing Shu."
Could it be that everything in this hall was prepared as gifts from Qian Duoduo? It was truly a level of extravagance beyond compare, even for a tycoon of his stature.
The steward, Xiao Cai, first handed a small corner of the "Doom Net" to Jing Shu and Su Mali, his fingers barely brushing against their palms. "Do you know what this material is?" Jing Shu shook her head, the motion slight. It was cold to the touch, heavy like ordinary metal, its surface glinting with a dull, silver sheen.
She pulled at it with strength, and to her surprise, the palm-sized piece instantly expanded into a massive dense net, the fine wires singing softly as they stretched. She tugged again. It was solid, resisting her pull with a strength that felt impossible for its thinness.
"It's so thin. Wouldn't a single knife slice right through it?" Su Mali stuck out her tongue, her expression skeptical as she peered at the delicate mesh.
Xiao Cai unbuttoned his sleek black suit jacket and demonstrated with delicate hands, his movements precise and practiced. "The material is alloy. Ordinary blades don't cut or break it. It's called memory metal, an aerospace material. We also infused it with silver, the strongest conductor, which gives it that faint luster.
It can bend tremendously. It's highly malleable, able to deform without breaking under extreme pressure. Even after ten million bends, it returns to its original form. No matter how often you use it, even by the end of Earth's Dark Days, it will remain intact."
This material was truly something else; it was worlds apart from ordinary fishing nets that rotted or snapped in the damp. Jing Shu's jaw dropped. She knew iron wire nets that broke after a few bends, leaving the user vulnerable. Even her family's stainless steel nets couldn't withstand repeated use without fraying. But this memory metal? It was absolutely incredible.
Xiao Cai cleared his throat, lifting a dainty orchid finger as he continued, his voice steady. Jing Shu didn't care about his mannerisms right now. Safety in the apocalypse mattered far more than a steward's quirks.
"After the technicians install the Doom Net system into your RV's roof, you can activate it through central control. Within three seconds, it will expand into a seamless net that covers the entire RV like a protective shroud. One second later, the entire net will electrify. You can control the voltage yourself, ensuring complete safety inside while everything outside is kept at bay."
Su Mali hesitated, her brow furrowing slightly. "Wait. When it expands, won't the electricity harm the people inside?"
"No. We calibrated the RV's measurements with precision. The net reforms with a margin of error less than 0.1 centimeters. As long as no one is outside when it is deployed, you're safe. Don't tug at it with your hands again, though. Activation requires specific temperatures for the memory mode to engage properly. It's defensive, offensive, and capture modes.
Mr. Qian considered the scenarios where you would need this RV: disasters and hostile encounters. Natural disasters aside, if venomous creatures or stealthy beasts approach, the dense electrified net becomes invaluable. When resting at night, should swarms of poisonous snakes or fast, agile predators appear, this Doom Net will protect you. It will prevent infiltration and serve as an alarm."
Jing Shu nodded, her gaze fixed on the shimmering mesh. Snakes? Poisonous or not, they wouldn't survive long around her. They would end up in her pot before they could even strike. But carrion-evolved creatures were another matter. Gunfire only attracted more of those horrors, drawing them like moths to a flame. The electric net was indeed a practical solution that offered a silent defense.
Xiao Cai went on, his tone becoming a touch more serious. "And to go further, Mr. Qian worries your RV is too luxurious. It's likely to attract bandits or desperadoes at night who see it as a mobile treasure chest. After all, in times like these, he himself is robbed almost daily by those who have nothing left to lose. This advice comes from his own experience."
Jing Shu gave a thumbs up, a small smile playing on her lips. "I like this net very much. The material is rare, but its functions please me even more." Su Mali nodded approvingly, her iridescent raincoat rustling as she moved. "There really are plenty of bad people now. With all the features your RV has, what it lacks is self-defense."
Jing Shu understood the gravity of the warning. Qian Duoduo's caution was less about natural disasters and more about human threats that lurked in the shadows. She thought most desperadoes would starve before managing to rob her, especially with her RV's towering size and armored exterior. Still, as he said, there's no end to thievery. Even if an intruder failed, the nuisance would fall on her, disrupting her peace.
"Someone will go with you to handle installation later. Now, let us move to the next surprise. This way, please." Xiao Cai led them on, his footsteps light on the stone floor. Only then did Su Mali's four bodyguards step closer, professional as always, their presence a silent, heavy weight during the explanation.
As they reached the liveliest area, an uneasy feeling stirred in Jing Shu, a slight tightening in her chest. Surely the crowd wasn't gawking at Qian Duoduo's gift for her? On closer look, it was only an illusion. The bodyguards far outnumbered ordinary people, their sharp eyes scanning the room.
Still, a handful of onlookers clustered around a display case, whispering in hushed tones that seemed to fade into the shadows. Xiao Cai's smile widened, showing a row of perfect, white teeth. "It's nothing special, really. Why are there so many gawkers? It's just a 1,000-kilometer-range, vehicle-mounted, 84mm recoilless cannon turret."
Jing Shu swallowed hard, the sensation thick in her throat. In her past life, she had survived ten years of the apocalypse without ever seeing even a pistol, always scurrying like an ant at the very bottom of society, hidden in the ruins. Yet in this life, she was being gifted a cannon turret? Close combat and long-range were both covered now!
Was her life getting too unreal? She swallowed hard again. Her eyes were fixed on the placard: "For Jing Shu." But to gift such a blatant weapon outright, wouldn't she be arrested by the authorities?
Sensing her worry, Xiao Cai fluttered his orchid fingers and said with a smile, his expression reassuring. "Civilians owning weapons now requires a process, just like in the US. There are licenses and approvals to navigate. Mr. Qian has already completed everything for you. You can rest assured."
"Then… I suppose there's no reason to refuse."
Stars sparkled in Su Mali's eyes, their light bright in the clinical atmosphere. "Wow, Qian Duoduo really went all out. But Jing Shu, you had better ask for more ammo while you're at it."