Chapter 300 - 131: Three Rewards, All at Once
The spearhead is made from folded forged steel, naturally featuring rippling patterns on its surface that add to its chilling gleam, sharp and intimidating.
The part connecting the spearhead and the spear shaft is inlaid with a ring of purple copper, shaped into an ancient beast design to allow a spear tassel to be inserted.
The spear shaft is made of hollow steel tubing, with an intricate pattern of engraved cloud designs on the surface for grip.
Purely metal-forged, both the spearhead and the spear shaft are quite hefty.
Holding it in hand, Chen Zhou estimated that the spearhead alone was close to 3 jin, and with the shaft, the whole spear might not quite reach 7 jin, but it's close.
This weight of metallic weapon, even without an edge, could inflict significant damage just with its weight crashing down.
...
What boy could resist such an exquisite Cold Weapon? Stroking the spear shaft and swinging it a few times, Chen Zhou felt even more delighted.
The creator of this spear was clearly an experienced craftsman, who not only considered the weapon's appearance and strength but also perfected its handling comfort and balance.
Grasping the spear shaft, Chen Zhou could feel how the shaft's texture fit snugly in his palm, with no slipping at all.
Yet, the one flaw was the spear's balance point seemed too far forward, making thrusting powerful, but slashing rather awkward.
Because of its heavy weight, controlling the angle while slashing was difficult, easy to veer off, and hard to halt the attack when the spearhead came down, showing obvious shortcomings in maneuverability.
Chen Zhou guessed this might be because it wasn't designed for foot combat in the first place.
The forward balance was to accommodate cavalry combat, enhancing the forward thrusting impact.
Moreover, he lacked martial arts foundation and experience with spear weapons.
Being clumsy on the first try was normal; with diligent practice in the future, the situation would surely improve.
...
Unexpectedly, the reward delivered on March 9th was such a practical yet ornamental weapon.
Chen Zhou was inwardly pleased, even forgetting to maintain a stoic expression, joyfully disassembling the spear, slipping it into a leather case, and placing it back in the wooden box, eagerly moving towards the final reward.
The surface of the orange plastic box was adorned with a few raindrops, resembling a silent extinct volcano, standing on the beach, waiting to erupt.
Approaching it, Chen Zhou had a vague sense of danger.
Hoo~
His first encounter with a proper military product inevitably made him nervous.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the clasps on both sides of the plastic box.
With a wrench and a lift, what met his eyes were "yellow bricks" stacked neatly in eight rows.
Although called bricks, they were much smaller than those used in northern brick houses, each one only about the size of a bar of soap.
The yellow on the brick surface differed from earthy yellow, possessing a distinct grainy and crystalline texture, with a circular hole in the center side of each brick.
An ordinary person might mistake these small items for some kind of special building material.
However, Chen Zhou couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
The military items he was familiar with were few, but these "little bricks" happened to be one of them.
Their chemical composition is trinitrotoluene, better known by its widely recognized name—TNT.
A full box of TNT explosives was unexpectedly packed in this plain, unassuming orange box!
According to the marking on the side of the box, each of these "little bricks" was a standard 200g charge.
And just this small 200g was enough to blow half a wooden sailboat to pieces.
But Chen Zhou's concern didn't last because he knew that the structural differences between TNT and flammable, explosive gunpowder were significant.
While TNT is extremely powerful, its properties are quite stable, unlikely to explode even when burned, shot through, or incinerated at high temperatures.
Moreover, its impact sensitivity is very low, and its friction sensitivity is weak, making it safer to store than bricks.
To detonate it, an external high-energy source, such as a detonator, is necessary, accompanied by a fuse to ensure safety.