Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

The two talked for a while longer, and Davis finally decided to take Lin Rui to the arms depot.

He led Lin Rui out of the bar and into the warehouse district of foreign firms on the western section of Avenue Joffre.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Davis stopped in front of an inconspicuous blue brick warehouse. The warehouse was completely dark, with only a dusty kerosene lamp hanging at the door, its faint light barely illuminating the two guards at the entrance.

The two guards were both tall, white men dressed in black overalls with Colt M1911 pistols at their waists. Upon seeing Davis approach, they immediately straightened up and greeted him in a low voice in English, "Mr. Davis."

Davis nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Guard the outside. No one is allowed to come near." After saying that, he took out a bunch of brass keys from his pocket. There were three different locks hanging on the keychain, which were obviously the access keys to the warehouse.

Lin Rui stood silently behind Davis, his gaze quickly sweeping across the warehouse.

The warehouse was about two stories high, with thick walls and windows welded shut with sturdy iron bars wrapped with barbed wire. In addition to the two guards at the entrance, there was a guard crouching at each corner of the warehouse, holding a lever-action rifle and scanning the surroundings warily. Another guard paced back and forth at the warehouse entrance, forming a tight security perimeter.

"These are guards I hired at great expense. They're all retired U.S. Army soldiers. If the arms business stops, I won't even be able to pay their salaries," Davis said to Lin Rui in a low voice as he unlocked the door, his tone tinged with pride. "In Shanghai, without sufficient military force, you simply can't protect this batch of weapons."

As they were speaking, several crisp "clicks" were heard, and the three locks on the warehouse door were opened one after another. Davis pushed open the heavy iron door with force.

The warehouse was pitch black. Davis fumbled for the switch by the door, and several dim lights came on one after another, barely illuminating the entire warehouse.

Lin Rui looked up and saw that the warehouse was spacious and empty, with various weapons neatly stacked on the shelves around it. The wooden crates were stacked more than a person high, with English words and weapon models printed on them. There was a strong smell of gunpowder and gun oil in the air.

"Come this way. I've put the things you wanted in the inner room separately. They're all high-quality items that I specially reserved."

As he spoke, Davis took the lead and walked deeper into the warehouse.

Lin Rui followed closely behind, his gaze sweeping over the arms on the shelves. He saw M1903 Springfield rifles, early M1 Garand rifles, Thompson submachine guns, and boxes of .30-06 ammunition. The quantity was considerable, and it was indeed a batch of excellent American arms.

At the far end of the warehouse was a separate small compartment, also locked. Davis unlocked the lock, pushed open the compartment door, and found that the light inside was brighter than outside. There were only a few weapons on the shelves.

He walked to a black wooden box, bent down, opened it, and took out a rifle with gentle movements, as if handling a rare treasure.

"This is a Springfield M1903A1 Springfield rifle, .30-06 caliber, bolt action, extremely high accuracy, it is the main sniper rifle of our U.S. Army, a brand new product that just came off the production line at the beginning of this year, it is much better than those old guns recovered from the battlefield."

Davis handed the rifle to Lin Rui, his tone tinged with pride, and continued his introduction.

"Look at this gun. It has a high-quality walnut stock with a smooth feel. The gun body is rust-proofed, so it won't easily rust even in Shanghai's humid environment. The barrel is made using a cold-forging process, giving it a long range and high accuracy. Within 100 meters, it can easily hit a target the size of a coin."

Lin Rui reached out and took the rifle. It was heavy, weighing about 4.5 kilograms. The gun was cool to the touch, and the grain of the walnut stock was clearly visible. It felt smooth and comfortable to the touch. He gently pulled the bolt back; the movement was smooth and without any hesitation. The bolt engaged tightly, demonstrating the gun's excellent craftsmanship.

He raised the rifle, aimed it at the target on the wall of the compartment, and looked through the mechanical sights. The sights were clear, and the rifle felt solid in his hand. It was indeed a precision rifle.

"A rifle alone isn't enough; I've also prepared a scope for you." Davis took out a black scope and a side-mounted mount from another wooden crate. "This is a Mossberg Model 6C 4x commercial version scope, a brand new product that just came out this year. It has a 3/4-inch barrel, crosshairs, and a clear field of view, allowing for accurate aiming even in low-light conditions. This is a Griffin & Howe side-mounted mount, which can be installed without damage to the left side of the M1903's receiver. It won't obstruct ejection or loading, and it's simple to install and easy to remove. See?"

As he spoke, Davis aligned the side-mounted scope with the interface on the left side of the rifle receiver, gently snapped it in place, and then tightened the fixing screws. His movements were skillful, and the scope was installed in less than half a minute.

He then mounted the 4x scope on the mount, adjusted the angle, and handed it to Lin Rui:

"Try it. This scope has a wide field of view and a 4x magnification, which ensures accuracy and allows you to see distant targets clearly. It's much better than the 2.5x scopes currently in service with the military."

Lin Rui raised his rifle again and looked through the scope. The target on the wall was instantly magnified, and the patterns on it were clearly visible. The crosshairs were precise. He turned the adjustment knob on the scope, and the field of view was smooth without any blur.

He gently adjusted the angle, aimed at the center of the target, and could clearly feel the improved accuracy brought by the scope. He nodded to himself – this was indeed a precision rifle suitable for covert operations.

"Finally, here's the muzzle suppressor you requested."

Davis took out a cylindrical metal object from the third wooden box. It was black all over with fine textures on the surface, threaded at one end and a small opening at the other.

"This is the civilian version of the Maxim suppressor, designed specifically for the .30-06 caliber. It is compatible with this M1903 Springfield rifle and is fixed to the muzzle with threads, making installation very simple."

He picked up the suppressor, aimed it at the muzzle of the rifle, and rotated it clockwise a few times. With a "click," the suppressor was firmly fixed to the muzzle.

"Listen to me, this silencer isn't silent. Instead, it uses internal multi-stage baffles to extend the depressurization time of the propellant gases and reduce the outlet flow rate, which can reduce noise by 25 to 32 decibels. When you fire, it will only make a muffled 'plop' sound, without any harsh gunshots. It can also reduce muzzle flash, making it suitable for covert operations at night."

To help Lin Rui understand the operating procedure more clearly, Davis picked up the rifle, cocked it, and then aimed it at an empty ammunition box in the corner of the compartment, whispering:

"Let me demonstrate for you. Listen carefully to the sound and watch the muzzle flash."

After saying that, he pulled the trigger. With a muffled "thud," the sound was deep and without any harsh noise. There was almost no obvious muzzle flash, only a wisp of white smoke rising. The bullet accurately hit the empty ammunition box, leaving a clear bullet hole.