Robert had temporarily and completely ruled out the idea of buying a leman russ tank. That thing was a money-devouring beast, a bottomless pit that needed to be filled with countless exp and player lives.
The Helldivers Company, at its current stage, clearly couldn't afford to maintain it.
So, what should he buy with these more than ten thousand exp?
He refocused his attention on the system store and began to carefully sort out his purchasing strategy.
First, personal equipment, such as carapace armor, bolt pistols, power swords... these items, as long as ordinary players accumulated enough exp, they would naturally buy them according to their preferences and combat styles.
This was their individual growth path, and as a Company Commander, he didn't need to worry about it, nor should he use the collective exp to pay for any single person.
Second, equipment that could only achieve maximum effectiveness through multi-person cooperation, such as mortars and heavy stubbers... these belonged to squad weapons.
The squad leaders of each squad knew their squad's needs and personnel configuration better than him, so this matter should also be handled by the squad leaders; he didn't need to worry about it either.
After thinking it over, Robert realized his positioning suddenly became clear. As a Company Commander, he actually only needed to consider buying "company-level" combat readiness items that could improve the combat effectiveness of the entire company and needed to be directly controlled by the company command.
Once the idea was clear, the target was easy to find.
Robert looked through the "Company-Level Command Equipment" category in the system store, and soon, his gaze locked onto something inconspicuous yet crucial—a walkie-talkie.
That's it!
The more Robert thought about it, the more he felt that this was the most suitable item right now.
First, this was an item that only he, as a Company Commander, had the authority to purchase. The authority requirement stated Company Commander Rank or Equivalent Commissar. This eliminated the worry of players below buying duplicates and causing resource waste.
Second, the operational threshold for this item was extremely low; it only required knowing how to turn it on and off, tune the frequency, and speak, which was effortless with the assistance of the system.
This was completely unlike hardcore technical items like tanks and aircraft, where simply knowing how to operate them wasn't enough. There was no "paying tuition" problem with a walkie-talkie.
Finally, and most importantly, players now desperately needed a reliable means of instant communication. Relying on forum messages was not only abstract in style but also extremely inefficient.
Battlefields changed rapidly; by the time you posted, your teammates saw it, and then replied, it would be too late. In case of an urgent battle situation where a distress post was sent but nobody saw it for a long time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Having understood all this, Robert no longer hesitated and decisively clicked the purchase button.
The next second, accompanied by a dull thud, a dark green, industrial-style, clunky metal box appeared out of thin air, crashing onto the container lid in front of him and Joker with a bang, making the lid hum.
A translucent attribute panel automatically unfolded above the item.
Name: VP-300 Backpack Walkie-Talkie
Type: Tool
Quality: Fine
Function: Can maintain clear communication within a standard open area of 100-120 kilometers.
Note: As a VP-300 model backpack walkie-talkie produced by the Voss Prime Forge World, its communication frequency band is 40-48 MHz, using FM modulation, with a total of 41 channels. Although its weight of 16 kg is slightly heavy for a walkie-talkie, its wide and stable communication range and long usage time are sufficient to compensate for this.
With the walkie-talkie in hand, a sense of novelty and curiosity surged. Robert and Joker exchanged glances, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes—to try it out immediately.
Although there wasn't another walkie-talkie to call each other, just playing with it to get familiar with the operation didn't require one. Moreover, they had full trust in items produced by the system store. System-produced, must be a masterpiece!
"Come, lend a hand," Robert called out.
Together, they opened the heavy metal casing of the walkie-talkie. A smell of old machinery, a mix of oil and dust, wafted out. As they fiddled with the complex knobs and switches, a thought flashed through Robert's mind.
"If buying a tank also appeared out of thin air like this... then it seems before buying big items in the future, I'll have to send people to survey the surrounding terrain first and find an open space. Otherwise, if it spawns directly in some small alley and gets stuck, unable to drive out, this game doesn't have a 'unstuck' option."
After some fumbling, accompanied by a faint electrical hum, several vacuum tubes on the walkie-talkie lit up with a dim yellow glow, signaling that the heavy equipment had begun to operate. With Joker's help, Robert strapped the 16-kilogram behemoth onto his back, feeling its substantial weight. He picked up the microphone and began to attempt to call out on every frequency band.
"Calling... calling... This is the Helldivers Company. If you hear me, please respond. Test, test."
"Try another channel."
"Static... static... Calling... Is anyone there? Testing channel number 2."
Static static static...
Although they were calling out, in reality, neither of them held out hope of contacting anyone. The situation on Perditia had long been in chaos. What they were doing now was merely to test the performance of this walkie-talkie and familiarize themselves with its operation.
They switched channels one by one, and only monotonous static noise came through the earpiece.
...Testing channel number 37, this is the Imperial Guard Helldivers Company. If you hear...
Just as Robert routinely recited the call sign, the monotonous "static" sound was suddenly interrupted. A voice, clear and incredibly excited despite strong electrical interference, suddenly boomed from the earpiece!
"Omnissiah above! Is it reinforcements! Have reinforcements arrived?! This is the Alpha-7 Task Force of the Ecclesiarchy! Repeat, this is the Alpha-7 Task Force! Where are you?!"
Robert and Joker were instantly stunned. Their eyes wide, they looked at each other. The surprise came so suddenly!
Robert immediately reacted, gripping the microphone tightly, and responded in a deep voice: "This is the Astra Militarum Helldivers Company of Perditia! We are currently at the Chemical Refinery in the Lower Hive! What is your location? What is the situation?"
"Praise the Machine God!" The voice on the other end was somewhat incoherent with excitement, "We are trapped in the Trinity Foundry Workshop in the Mid-Hive! Heretics... large numbers of heretics are besieging us! We are... we are protecting an important holy relic!"
As for what that holy relic was, the Tech-Priest did not mention it, and Robert did not press the matter.
"Hold on! We will organize a rescue as soon as possible!" Robert solemnly promised.
"Many thanks! May the Machine God guide your path! We will keep this channel open! Over!"
The communication cut off, and the static sound returned to the earpiece.
Robert put down the microphone and exchanged glances with Joker, who had a knowing smile on his face. He lowered his voice and said in a tone of someone who had discovered a treasure: "Company Commander, the people who will make shells for our tanks are here."
Robert's mood, however, was more complex. He looked at the heavy walkie-talkie on his back and said thoughtfully: "If I hadn't bought this walkie-talkie, or bought it later, or... if I hadn't called on every frequency band just now, would I have missed this Tech-Priest's cry for help?"
Joker thought for a moment, then shrugged: "Given this game dev's temperament, it's entirely possible... This is probably what they call a 'hidden quest,' requiring players to trigger it themselves."
Robert did not dwell on this question further. His eyes sharpened, and he made a decisive decision.
"I'll go notify the other players and Commissar Walter. The Helldivers Company accepts this rescue and escort mission.
Prepare to depart for the Mid-Hive; we need to help this Tech-Priest."