CHAPTER 71: MILITARY SHOPPING

[Armory Shop – Assault Rifles]

Rows of weapons flickered into view, tags and prices hovering beside them. M4A1 Carbine—6,200 SP. CZ Bren—6,800 SP. All solid, but expensive.

His eyes dropped to the bottom of the list.

QBZ-95-1 — 4,200 SP.

5.8×42mm. Bullpup design. Compact. Cheap.

"Not as modular as the M4," Riku muttered, fingers tapping against the wheel. "But right now, I don’t need custom rails. I need numbers. A gun in every fighter’s hands."

He highlighted the entry.

[Purchase Qty: 10]

[Confirm? — 42,000 SP]

SP Balance: 760,256 → 718,256

In the blink of an eye, ten rifles dropped into his inventory. Black polymer bodies, boxy bullpup frames. Reliable, simple, and most importantly—affordable.

"Good enough," he said. "A bullet doesn’t care if the rifle cost six thousand or four."

He flicked to the ammunition menu.

[Ammunition Purchase Menu]

— 5.56×45mm NATO (100 Rounds): 300 SP

— 5.56×45mm NATO (300 Rounds): 800 SP

— 7.62×51mm NATO (50 Rounds): 450 SP

— 7.62×51mm NATO (100 Rounds): 800 SP

No 5.8×42mm listed, but the system adapted. The ammo slot shimmered, updating with a soft chime.

5.8×42mm (100 Rounds): 280 SP

5.8×42mm (300 Rounds): 750 SP

"Cheaper than NATO, huh? Good."

He crunched the math quickly. Twenty fighters, ten rifles now. Each rifle needed at least five mags of thirty. That meant 150 rounds minimum per fighter. Call it 1,500 rounds to start.

[Purchase: 5.8×42mm – 1,500 Rounds]

[Total: 3,750 SP]

SP Balance: 718,256 → 714,506

He leaned back, satisfied. The ammo shimmered into existence in crates, and miraculously in the backseat.

"Now, a backbone," he muttered. "In case we encounter a huge numbers of zombies, we are going to need a weapon that will cull them as fast as possible."

He slid the menu to [Machine Guns].

FN Minimi — 13,800 SP.

M249 SAW — 13,500 SP.

Both chambered in 5.56. Belt-fed. Squad weapons designed to keep heads down and bodies pinned.

Riku studied the stats. The Minimi was the original Belgian design. Rugged, tested across dozens of armies. The M249 was the American-adopted version—nearly identical, just with some minor manufacturing tweaks.

"Same beast, different badge," Riku muttered. "But the M249’s parts will line up with our ammo easier. Interchangeable with the M4 mags too, if needed."

Decision made.

[Purchase: M249 SAW — 13,500 SP]

SP Balance: 714,506 → 701,006

The weapon dropped into his inventory. But a machine gun without belts was just dead weight. He flicked back to the Ammunition menu.

[Ammunition Purchase Menu]

— 5.56×45mm NATO (100 Rounds): 300 SP

— 5.56×45mm NATO (300 Rounds): 800 SP

Perfect. Same caliber as the M4, meaning the belts could be broken down or topped up with loose NATO ammo. Even his old carbine would benefit from the purchase.

He tapped the 300-round option.

[Purchase: 5.56×45mm NATO – 1,200 Rounds]

[Total: 3,200 SP]

SP Balance: 701,006 → 697,806

"Not enough yet." He scrolled again. "One burst from this beast eats a hundred rounds like candy. I’ll need more if I plan to sustain suppression."

[Purchase: 5.56×45mm NATO – 1,800 Rounds]

[Total: 4,800 SP]

SP Balance: 697,806 → 693,006

He wasn’t done.

His eyes slid to the lower panel of his inventory. The M4’s ammo count was almost drained. He wasn’t about to walk back into camp with a "new arsenal" but an empty rifle.

[Purchase: 5.56×45mm NATO – 900 Rounds]

[Total: 2,400 SP]

SP Balance: 693,006 → 690,606

Three boxes materialized neatly onto the passenger seat.

He took a long breath, tapping the side of the console as the Rezvani idled. Ten QBZ rifles for the fighters, crates of fresh 5.8×42mm to feed them. An M249 with three thousand rounds to break any massed attack. And his own kit replenished.

Now, he planned on arming twenty in their camp. Ten rifles were good for mid-range fights, but he needed something else—something compact, forgiving, and easy for inexperienced hands. Not everyone could manage the recoil of a bullpup rifle under panic.

His fingers flicked the interface to [Submachine Guns].

The list loaded, and one entry caught his attention instantly.

Heckler & Koch MP5 — 2,500 SP

9×19mm Parabellum. Legendary German design. Compact, controllable, and lethal in close quarters.

Fire Modes: Semi / Auto

Mag Capacity: 30

"Perfect," Riku muttered. "Even a nervous kid can spray with this and hit something. Light recoil. Simple controls. Short barrel. That’s what they need inside tight hallways. And...it’s my first weapon so there’s that."

He highlighted the purchase option.

[Purchase Qty: 10]

[Confirm? — 25,000 SP]

SP Balance: 690,606 → 665,606.

Ten MP5s dropped neatly into his inventory.

He moved immediately to the ammo section. The menu shimmered and adapted just like before.

[9mm Ammunition Menu]

— 9mm (30-round Magazine): 150 SP

— 9mm (100 Rounds, loose): 400 SP

— 9mm (300 Rounds, loose): 1,100 SP

Riku didn’t hesitate. "Each fighter needs at least four mags. Ten MP5s means forty mags."

[Purchase: 9mm – 40 Magazines]

[Total: 6,000 SP]

SP Balance: 665,606 → 659,606

Magazines stacked in his inventory—ready, full, and locked. But he wasn’t satisfied yet. Loose ammo was necessary to refill when mags ran dry.

[Purchase: 9mm – 3,000 Rounds (loose)]

[Total: 11,000 SP]

SP Balance: 659,606 → 648,606

Crates of 9mm shimmered into the back row of his inventory. Enough to arm, train, and resupply for weeks if rationed properly.

He leaned back, running the numbers in his head.

— Ten QBZ-95s with 1,500 rounds of 5.8mm.

— Ten MP5s with forty mags and 3,000 rounds of 9mm.

— One M249 SAW with 3,000 rounds of 5.56mm.

Riku exhaled slowly, watching the inventory panel pulse faintly before it closed. His balance still sat at 648,606 SP—healthy enough to buy heavier support weapons in the future.

Now, to appear that he really retrieved them from one place, he materialized all of them inside Rezvani and the moment he did that, the Rezvani was filled to the brim.

And seeing that they were cramped, he regretted his decision of buying this specific vehicle. Still, all of them fit. Now, back to the supermarket.