Chapter 146: Hidden Weapons

However, after glancing over the data regarding the Jupiter rings, Li Longfang felt a bit puzzled. With a curious expression, he asked Zhang Desen:
"Um. What is the captain's intention in showing me these right now?"

Zhang Desen turned to look at Li Longfang and explained in a low voice:
"According to the intelligence I retrieved from that Dinosaur-man satellite, spacecraft belonging to other civilizations frequently appear near Io, Mars, and other celestial bodies. To this day, we still have no idea where they originate. I suspect that we will very likely need to explore Jupiter's various moons in person. Since there is a faint ring system surrounding Jupiter, I wanted to brief you on it beforehand so that we won't be caught off guard when the time comes."

Hearing this, Li Longfang replied:
"Understood, Captain. I will study it thoroughly and make sure I am not completely clueless when the need arises."

Zhang Desen continued:
"Very well. Make sure you also discuss this with Zhao Chengming later on. After all, piloting the Galaxy spacecraft—which I brought from my original universe—all the way to Jupiter by myself is somewhat strenuous. It would be ideal to utilize a starship left behind by advanced humanity, much like the Crater currently parked outside the city walls of Hezhou, to ensure our mission is completed faster, more effectively, and with greater safety."

Li Longfang nodded:
"Affirmative, Captain. I guarantee that as soon as I wrap up the current matter, I will speak with Zhao Chengming right away."

Zhang Desen nodded approvingly and said:
"Good, you are doing a fine job."

Right at that moment, however, a discordant voice chimed in:
"Well, well. Here I am, standing up for you, and you completely ignore me. Instead, you two men are whispering sweet nothings to each other—don't tell me you swing that way?"

Zhang Desen felt as though he might cough up a mouthful of old blood. He retorted:
"My dear Miss Feng, please don't jump to conclusions at the slightest hint of wind or rain. You must look at the whole picture. If you go around making wild guesses based on mere shadows every time, just imagine how many wrongful convictions there would be in this world."

Before Zhang Desen and the others could receive a reply, a commotion erupted as a group of people marched up to the second floor. The leader among them immediately bellowed:
"Which audacious scoundrels dare to commit outrages here?"

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Desen and his companions saw that the newcomers were government runners. The man at the front wore official robes, and judging by their style, he was none other than the prefect of Hezhou City.

Accompanied by his underlings, the prefect spotted Sun Fu lying on the ground. He rushed forward immediately to help the young master up, exclaiming in distress:
"Oh dear, my young lord! How did you end up in this state?"

Before he could touch Sun Fu, however, the special operatives of the Flying Dragon Special Operations Team—part of the Allied Family Guards—intervened and blocked his path. Since the Flying Dragon team took orders exclusively from Zhang Desen, and Zhang Desen had not granted permission for anyone to lift Sun Fu, they stood firm to stop the prefect.

The prefect flushed with anger and shouted:
"Impertinent rabble, how dare you act thus! Do you have any idea who you are offending? You had better apologize and kowtow immediately. If it weren't for this heavy rain delaying Lord Xuanwei and Sun Fu's retainers, they would be the ones arriving here right now. Apologize while there is still time, and perhaps I can put in a good word for you once they arrive."

Zhang Desen could not be bothered to argue. With a hand gesture, he signaled all the special operations personnel to ready the Type 56 assault rifles slung across their shoulders for immediate use.

Naturally, Zhang Desen also reached back to unhook the sword case from his back, placing it before him so he could draw the Type 95 assault rifle concealed within at a moment's notice.

Observing this series of actions, the prefect sneered:
"Insolent wretches, showing such utter disrespect in the presence of the prefect..."

Before he could finish, Sun Jia, the steward of the Sun family who was sprawled on the floor, let out muffled groans. Though his right hand had been severed, he had not completely lost consciousness.

Scarcely had he whimpered a few times when Feng Ling'er delivered a swift kick straight to his head, plunging him into genuine unconsciousness. Upon seeing this, the prefect shrieked in outrage:
"Audacious scoundrels resorting to violence! Seize them at once!"

Before Feng Ling'er could speak, the guards of the Feng household drew their sabers in unison and stepped in front of her. This only incensed the prefect further, and he roared furiously:
"Rebellious mob! Do you intend to start an insurrection?"

Feng Ling'er chuckled lightly and replied:
"You've been yapping about a mob for quite a while now, but I haven't even asked who you are."

Enraged, the prefect barked:
"Ignorant wretches, how dare you! Very well, I shall enlighten you. I am Tan Kaiming, the prefect of this city. The people you have offended today belong to the Sun family, and their patron at court, Lord Xuanwei Wang Wangdan, is currently a guest at their estate. Because the torrential rain blocked their carriages, they sent me ahead. Now you shall face their wrath directly!"

Changing his tone slightly, Tan Kaiming added:
"Offer your apologies at once! Otherwise, I won't even have room to intercede on your behalf later."

At that juncture, Zhang Desen finally spoke up:
"Prefect, you haven't even bothered to investigate the facts of the matter, yet you demand that we apologize. Why on earth is there such a muddle-headed official like you in this world?"

Prefect Tan Kaiming let out a helpless sigh and said:
"To tell you the truth, the laws of the imperial court hold no sway here. The true law of this land is whatever the Sun family decrees. Coupled with their backing in the capital through Lord Xuanwei, fighting them will only end in disaster. I advise you to swallow your pride and let the matter rest. Otherwise, even if you manage to escape Hezhou City alive and appeal to the imperial court, Lord Xuanwei will undoubtedly use his connections to suppress the case, leaving you to suffer the consequences."

At this, Feng Ling'er burst into laughter. She retorted:
"You muddle-headed magistrate, do you seriously believe that Lord Xuanwei is the only influential figure in the capital? Do you have any idea who my father is?"

Tan Kaiming replied dismissively:
"Young lady, whoever your father might be is irrelevant. You are quite pretty, so perhaps Lord Xuanwei might take you as a concubine, allowing you to survive. But as for this young gentleman, I'm afraid..."

Hearing this, Feng Ling'er flew into a rage and interrupted sharply:
"Let me tell you, my father is General Feng Yucai! Take a look at this—"

With that, Feng Ling'er produced her official identification token. Upon laying eyes on it, Tan Kaiming turned pale with fright. He bowed profusely and stammered in terror:
"So you are General Feng's esteemed daughter! Your humble servant was blind and ignorant; I beg the young lady's forgiveness."

Feng Ling'er then pointed at Zhang Desen and asked:
"Do you know who he is?"

Cold sweat began to bead on Tan Kaiming's forehead as he quavered:
"I... Please enlighten me, Miss Feng."

Suddenly, amidst the contingent of yamen runners, one individual covertly drew a hidden dart and hurled it straight at Feng Ling'er. Just as the projectile was about to strike her, a sharp crack rang out.

*Bang!*

A gunshot shattered the air, knocking the hidden weapon off course and sending it clattering to the floor.

It was Zhang Desen, who had drawn his pistol and intercepted the dart.

The QSZ-92 pistol, officially designated as the QSZ-92 semi-automatic pistol, was originally developed to replace obsolete sidearms that could no longer keep pace with the times. Through continuous refinement and development, military and police variants were eventually introduced, becoming standard-issue equipment for the armed forces and SWAT units.

Chambered in both 5.8mm and 9mm calibers, the QSZ-92 offered drastically improved performance over its predecessors, with a particular emphasis on ergonomic design. Compared to foreign counterparts of the same class, while it still lagged slightly behind in manufacturing finesse and service life, it was exceptionally well-suited to the hand proportions of the Chinese people.

The 9mm variant utilized the DAP 9mm standard round, which was compatible with standard 9mm Parabellum ammunition and operated on a semi-automatic mechanism.

It utilized a short recoil system, a rotating barrel locking mechanism, and a hammer-fired system. The feeding mechanism consisted of a double-stack, double-feed 15-round magazine, with each firearm issued with two magazines. The service life of the pistol exceeded 3,000 rounds, with a malfunction rate of less than 0.2 percent. It functioned reliably in extreme temperatures ranging from +50°C to -45°C and successfully passed rigorous environmental simulation tests during trials, including dust exposure, dust followed by rainfall, and immersion in river water laden with silt and sand.

Because the military demanded high penetration capabilities for the new pistol system, the DAP 9mm rounds developed for it shared identical outer dimensions and certain parameters with NATO-standard 9mm Parabellum rounds, but utilized a lead-steel composite core projectile. While fully interchangeable with standard 9mm Parabellum rounds, the DAP 9mm ammunition possessed vastly superior penetration against light protective targets, thus satisfying military requirements while rendering the pistol commercially viable for export. The DAP 9mm round had a total cartridge length of 30mm, a total mass of 12.3 grams, and an 8-gram projectile. It utilized non-corrosive primer and single-base propellant, achieving a muzzle velocity ($V_5$) of 360 ± 10 meters per second.

At a distance of 25 meters, it could place 20 consecutive rounds accurately. At a distance of 50 meters, it could pierce a 13mm-thick Type 232 helmet steel plate and still retain enough energy to penetrate a 50mm-thick pine board—a feat that standard sidearms and Parabellum ammunition failed to achieve, leaving only minor dents on the steel plate by comparison.

Having neutralized the hidden weapon, Zhang Desen cast a cold, mocking gaze at the assailant and said:
"You must be an operative of the Sun family, correct? Do you realize the situation has escalated beyond your control, so you've decided to make a desperate cornered-beast move? Do you genuinely believe you can eliminate everyone here and cover up what happened? Let me guess—the moment you learned Miss Feng's true identity, you decided to resort to silencing us all by force?"

The assassin met Zhang Desen's gaze, his eyes gleaming with a sinister, icy light. Yet he appeared remarkably unfazed, which struck Zhang Desen as quite extraordinary. It was evident that this man possessed genuine grit, even if he had aligned himself with the wrong side.