Chapter 35: Buying a Gun for Self-Defense

Over the next week, Xiao Ran attended two more storage unit auctions. Unfortunately, he did not have any surprising gains at either. He bid on a total of three units; one barely broke even, and the other two resulted in losses. Fortunately, the losses were minor, totaling only a little over two thousand dollars. Finding nothing of value in these units, he sold them at a discount to other professional treasure hunters, letting them handle the clearing out. Naturally, those guys made a bit of profit, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken over the units.

These three consecutive misses caused the magical aura surrounding Xiao Ran to fade significantly. The bitterness felt by some fans in the live stream also diminished somewhat. Everyone now believed that Xiao Ran's two previous major finds were simply a matter of luck, not any special ability. This made many people feel more balanced and at peace. But little did they know, this was entirely intentional on Xiao Ran's part. He wanted to use this method to dispel his magical aura, and the result was just as he had hoped—even better than expected.

Beyond attending the two auctions, he had accomplished many things this week. He finished his graduation thesis and met with his advisor to discuss it; the advisor's feedback was quite positive. However, the thesis was not finalized and still required some revisions. On Thursday, he went out and rented a storage unit not far from UCLA. This was not the small unit typical of a storage company, but a medium-sized warehouse, spanning four to five hundred square feet, capable of holding a great deal of items. Future items stored here would be of relatively average value, so he wouldn't need to worry about theft. As for the highly valuable items, he certainly wouldn't store them there. Since his green card hadn't been processed yet, Xiao Ran wasn't in a hurry to register a company and continued to work solo. He attended the two auctions this week alone, without Elaine.

In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday. Around 9:30 in the morning, Xiao Ran drove to a gun shop near Santa Monica Boulevard. Just as he entered the street, he saw from a distance that David was standing at the entrance, talking on his phone. After parking on the side of the road, Xiao Ran got out and walked straight toward the shop. Seeing him approach, David ended his call in a few words.

"Good morning, Shawn."
"Good morning, David."

The two greeted each other with a fist bump. David then took a file folder out of his briefcase and handed it to Xiao Ran. "Shawn, inside are your firearm permit and some other documents. Together with the hunting license you previously obtained, you can legally own a firearm starting today."

Xiao Ran reached out to take the folder, opened it, and took out the permit to examine it. To get this permit processed as quickly as possible, he had spent nearly twenty thousand dollars, essentially buying the permit. To be safe, while checking the permit, he secretly activated his X-ray vision, thoroughly scanning the permit and all the documents in the folder. The result went without saying: the permit was genuine, and the documents in the folder were authentic, with no signs of forgery.

"Thank you, David, you've worked hard! I never imagined I could actually own one of these, or own a firearm at all. This would be completely impossible in our country."

David smiled and replied, "I know China has strict gun control, but the United States is quite relaxed in this regard. As long as you have a permit and the money, you can buy a handgun at any time for self-defense."

Xiao Ran nodded lightly and put away the permit. "Yes, I can buy a gun for self-defense, but with everyone having guns, the danger hasn't diminished at all."

"There's no help for it; that's American culture. And as for the problems that stem from it, who really cares?"

As they spoke, they walked into the gun shop. After passing through two security doors, they finally entered the shop proper. It was medium-sized with slightly outdated decor, but that didn't matter as long as the numerous firearms on display were not. The shop had several rows of shelves and display cases packed with all sorts of weapons. From revolvers to Gatling guns, from automatic pistols to automatic rifles, and even Barrett sniper rifles—it was an overwhelming sight. Additionally, there were antique firearms inside glass cases. Clearly, these were the shop's collection, also for sale but at a much higher price. In Xiao Ran’s eyes, those antique firearms from different eras were all radiating brilliant light.

David knew the shop owner and greeted him as soon as they walked in. "Good morning, Charlie. I’ve brought a client to give you some business, so bring out the good stuff!"

The stout owner, named Charlie, turned to look and joked, "Good morning, David. As long as your client has a permit and the money, I can even provide a Gatling gun!"

As they spoke, David and Xiao Ran stepped forward. With David's introduction, Xiao Ran got to know the owner. After a bit of small talk, they got to the point.

"Shawn, what kind of gun are you looking to buy? Do you have a specific target?"

Hearing Charlie's question, Xiao Ran gave his answer immediately. "I am an international student at UCLA with a legal firearm permit and a hunting license. I can legally own firearms, but I only have the qualification to purchase and possess handguns, not other types. So, I have to choose a handgun. I looked up some information, and relatively speaking, I prefer the HK45!"

"If I could buy two HK45 tactical handguns, that would be perfect."

Charlie nodded immediately. "Excellent taste! The HK45 is an outstanding handgun. It has a beautiful design and excellent performance; it can be considered a work of art among handguns. I just received a batch of new HK45s, and you can pick two from them. Also, we have a small range in the basement; you two can go down and test them out!"

"That’s great, I was just wanting to test them!" Xiao Ran nodded excitedly.

Afterward, Charlie led Xiao Ran to a counter filled with various handguns and began to introduce the HK45s. While speaking, he opened the display case and took out two HK45s. By this time, Xiao Ran had already used his X-ray vision to see the two pistols clearly, especially the firing pins and the insides of the barrels. Just as Charlie said, these two were indeed new, with no signs of having been fired. The serial numbers were pristine, with no issues.

After confirming everything was fine, Xiao Ran ended his X-ray vision and began to handle the German-made pistol. Taking it in his hand, he aimed it to get a feel for the balance. The design was ergonomic and very reasonable, feeling comfortable in his grip, with moderate weight and a very stable center of gravity. Then, with a few clicks, Xiao Ran quickly field-stripped the pistol.

Seeing this, David and Charlie were both surprised, their eyes lighting up. They had no idea that while he was secretly using his X-ray vision earlier, he had already thoroughly mastered the structure of the pistol. The game of stripping and reassembling guns was something he had played before at a shooting range, though never with this level of proficiency.

Over an hour passed quickly. David and Xiao Ran exited the shop and stepped back onto the street. Xiao Ran still looked like he hadn't had enough. In his left hand, he carried a small black aluminum alloy case containing the two HK45 tactical pistols. The matching ammunition, holsters, cleaning tools, and so on were all in a carry-on bag in his other hand.

Looking at David, he wore a look of total shock. "Shawn, you are absolutely the most gifted shooter I have ever seen. Your marksmanship is incredibly accurate, and your reaction speed is as fast as lightning. If I didn't know you, I would certainly think you were a veteran marksman, not a beginner."

Xiao Ran laughed softly and changed the subject. "Time is running out, David. I have to rush to an auction, let's talk later."

Hearing this, David's eyes lit up. "Alright then, Shawn. I hope you find another treasure worth a fortune! But one thing you must be careful of: when transporting the handguns, you must keep the ammunition separate!"

"Understood, David, that is California law; I won't break it," Xiao Ran agreed.

After exchanging a few more words, he turned and left, driving straight toward the upcoming auction. As for the two HK45 pistols, they were locked in a new small safe inside his car for security.