Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Dragon Plate
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After leaving the server room, Lee Tae-ho asked,
"Mr. Na Gang-in. About what you just said needs fixing... If the work gets delayed, is there any danger...?"
"Nothing's going to happen right away. It could be a problem if the environment changes, but it's fine for now."
"Ah. That's a relief."
"It's hard to stop someone from physically coming into the server room and taking things, though."
"Hahaha. Security will handle any intruders."
That was a hole that hadn't been discovered yet. There was no need to plug a hole no one even knew about in advance.
"Then I can just let you know about that in a month."
"That's the plan."
The security check had wrapped up too quickly, leaving plenty of time.
Lee Tae-ho suggested,
"Our company has a test firing range for outside visitors. If you have time, why don't we stop by?"
The test firing range was stocked with a variety of handguns and rifles. There were K1 and K2 rifles used by the Korean military, as well as M4s, HK416s, and AK series.
Lee Tae-ho explained,
"Ironman Engineering makes all sorts of firearm accessories like scopes, and they produce body armor too. They keep guns from various countries here for testing that gear. Of course, they've got full government approval for firearms."
Na Gang-in eyed the rifles hanging on the range wall.
He selected one made by Ironman Engineering.
"Shall we try this one?"
The range attendant approached, unlocked it, and handed over the rifle. He held onto the magazine for now.
Lee Tae-ho asked,
"I saw your handgun skills back at Penelope that day, Mr. Gang-in, but you're good with rifles too, right?"
"We'll see once I shoot."
"If fixed targets seem too boring, we have moving ones."
Ironman Engineering had a state-of-the-art range where humanoid targets moved up, down, left, and right. Since civilians could use it too, it was equipped with all sorts of safety features.
Na Gang-in loaded a 30-round magazine into the assault rifle.
The range attendant, hand hovering over the target speed setting buttons, glanced at Lee Tae-ho.
For entertaining visitors, they set the targets to slow speed. For in-house scope testing, they cranked it up to high speed.
The attendant's finger rested on button 1.
Lee Tae-ho chatted briefly with Na Gang-in, then held up five fingers to the attendant.
The attendant was mildly surprised.
'Level 5?'
They used level 4 for scope performance tests. At level 5, the targets zipped left-right and even up-down at insane speeds.
'Pro shooter?'
The attendant set it to level 5 and hit start.
A buzzer signaled the start of firing.
Jeon Ji-in was the one who'd demanded level 5.
Na Gang-in pulled the trigger at the moving target. Whenever he aimed, Jeon Ji-in corrected any minor errors.
Each time he fired, bullets slammed precisely into the target. The report was loud, but the recoil was minimal.
Thanks to the combat support AI's firing corrections, he didn't need to spend long aiming. A quick sight and pull, and the rounds hit the target's chest or head.
Sensors under the target judged hits. Scores climbed on the board with each one.
Na Gang-in fired off all 30 rounds in a flash, set the rifle down, and said,
"Ironman Engineering makes a fine rifle. Don't know about durability yet, but it shoots straight."
Lee Tae-ho checked the scoreboard. It read 30 points.
"Whoa... I figured since you're great with handguns, rifles would be no sweat, but a perfect score?"
That was possible on a nearly stationary level 1. But this was level 5.
The attendant was stunned too.
"In just 10 seconds?"
Na Gang-in had fired three rounds per second. That meant pulling the trigger relentlessly without pausing to aim.
"National team shooter for real?"
Na Gang-in set down the rifle and looked around the range.
In one corner, someone was doing something unusual. Their goal was obvious at a glance.
"You do body armor tests here too?"
Lee Tae-ho turned that way and explained,
"That's not something Ironman made. It's a guy who brought in his own homemade vest to test."
"Homemade?"
"Folks like that show up occasionally. They craft gear based on their own theories. But real firing tests are tough in Korea, right? So they come to us."
"You let them test here?"
"If they apply, we lend the range and guns. No certificates issued."
Lee Tae-ho explained why they did it.
"My dad went through hell testing gear back in the day. So to make it easier for others, we just rent out the space."
"I see."
"We do charge, though. Bullets and dummy costs aren't free. Paper targets are cheap, but dummies run up the bill."
Na Gang-in was wearing the forearm guard he'd finished that morning on his left arm.
"You made it and you're still not confident?"
"Well, if you insist..."
"Let's do it. Gotta test it proper. You screw up a lot anyway."
Na Gang-in said to Lee Tae-ho,
"Mind if I watch for a bit?"
"Of course. Let's go."
Visitors to Ironman Engineering's range had to keep everything out in the open. The company wouldn't allow anyone hiding to fiddle with guns. CCTV covered every inch.
Blocking onlookers wasn't allowed either. That was a condition of use.
The civilian crafter testing his homemade vest wasn't hiding its performance—he was flaunting it.
"My Dragon Plate can perfectly stop 7.62mm rounds."
Na Gang-in muttered softly,
"Ji-in. What's the deal? That vest has the same name as ours."
"Huh? So that guy's the original developer? Whoa, I met a legend today..."
"Oh, not him."
"But that one's shaped different from ours. Isn't that basically child plate armor?"
Child plate was armor from the Joseon era.
"So how good do you think that vest is?"
They dressed the firing dummy in the vest and began live-fire testing. The civilian fired an Ironman-provided assault rifle himself.
Gunshots rang out as bullets thudded into the vest. The impact rocked the dummy hard. The crafter fired just one round before checking.
The bullet hadn't penetrated. He grinned wide.
"Hahaha! Look at this. Perfectly stopped a rifle round!"
He removed the vest and inspected the dummy.
"See? Dummy's intact too."
A range staffer chimed in,
"Looking at the dummy, a real person would've cracked some ribs at least."
The civilian was unfazed.
"Took a 5.56mm and only cracked—no death. Good enough."
"Fair point."
Testing continued with a few more shots. The homemade vest got fully penetrated on the fourth.
"Ours does that too, right?"
"We definitely need live-fire on ours to confirm protection. I don't want bullets in me."
The civilian's vest test wrapped up.
Testers had to clean up too. He stripped the vest and picked up the casings.
Na Gang-in watched and asked Lee Tae-ho,
"If I apply, can I test a vest too?"
"Mr. Na Gang-in, you're a free pass for anything."
"Didn't want to put you in a spot."
"No way. Ironman owes you big time."
If Sunny Day had flopped, not just THO Entertainment but Ironman Engineering could've faced ownership troubles.
Thanks to Na Gang-in's involvement, Ironman dodged that bullet. He'd even tipped them off about the crisis, letting them tighten their grip.
Lee Tae-ho said,
"Bring any vest or helmet. We'll test it all."
"Not a full vest."
Na Gang-in rolled up his left sleeve. A prototype Dragon Plate forearm guard made by Jeon Ji-in wrapped his forearm.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Made it the same way as that guy's test."
"What? That's body armor?"
"Small size, so more like a bulletproof forearm guard."
"Not a bracelet?"
"Could call it that now."
Lee Tae-ho was baffled.
"Why make something like this...?"
Na Gang-in bullshitted smoothly.
"Back in that seven-story building fight, tons of guys shooting. Figured I needed some protection."
Lee Tae-ho had been there too.
"Oh yeah, that was nuts. Bullets flying everywhere. I get why you'd make it, but..."
He'd seen vests plenty, but never a bulletproof bracelet.
"Isn't this hero gadget stuff from movies? Blocks bullets, maybe shoots webs? Not gonna come out of there, right?"
"Nothing like that comes out."
"Hahaha. Kidding. Anyway, we can test right now. Strap it on the dummy's arm and shoot."
"Got any silicone tape? Bandages work too."
"Sure, but why...?"
"It's custom-fit armor, so the dummy arm needs to match mine."
Silicone tape was plentiful in the repair supplies storeroom. Na Gang-in wrapped it around the dummy's forearm.
Lee Tae-ho, on vacation with time to kill, watched and said,
"You wrapped it just like your forearm. Didn't know you were pro at taping too."
Na Gang-in finished wrapping and compared to his arm. Shapes matched now.
He fitted the forearm Dragon Plate onto the dummy's left arm and returned to the firing line.
The civilian stuck around to watch. He asked,
"Hey, what material's that? Titanium alloy? Liquid metal?"
"Aluminum alloy and stainless steel in a layered composite structure."
"Pardon?"
"Interlocking parts from two materials shatter on impact to absorb the bullet's force."
"Wait, stainless is tough, sure, but pot metal? Thin like that? No way it stops bullets. Aluminum's a joke."
The civilian declared,
"That thing won't stop shit."