New Gods of North America.

Chapter 565 Sniper Rifle

Besides bullets, Tom Hagen's suitcase also contained many strange parts and accessories.
There are several different models of handguns.

After glancing through the weapons, Wayne couldn't help but tease, "You've brought so many weapons, why didn't you also bring the Brook family's machine guns?"

Tom Hagen seemed a little more serious: "That thing has already been bought, and there should be a confidentiality agreement. Although we don't know who the specific buyer is, it's at least unrelated to the federal arms factory in Springfield."

Good guy,
Developing heavy and light weapons without selling them to federal agencies?

Wayne was slightly surprised. "Is this kind of thing legal in Virginia?"

“If it is a private purchase, then it is of course a criminal act.”

Tom Hagen's expression was somewhat subtle. "However, legally, some states have loopholes to exploit. For example, some states have the right to keep the technology secret until it is 'successfully developed,' under the pretext of protecting local industry and planning to use it in bidding for new products for Army procurement."

“I see.” Wayne nodded, then warned, “Then you probably need to be careful. This thing might not be designed well enough, and it might explode.”

Hearing Wayne say that, Tom Hagen couldn't help but pick up the bullet again and take a look. "Maybe. But if the safety issues can be resolved, then once it's used on general-purpose firearms, the range will obviously be longer and the power will be greater."

"The recoil will be even greater." Wayne, who's now quite the gun enthusiast, casually remarked.

These days, there aren't many types of firearms. Besides machine guns, these large bullets can probably only be used in bolt-action rifles, which is somewhat resembling the development of "sniper rifles."

If the recoil is too great and you're aiming for accuracy, then the burst fire performance will definitely decrease—as anyone who's played shooting games knows, weapons like the AK, which are designed to be "powerful and capable of burst fire," will have their muzzle drift wildly when firing in bursts.

Tom Hagen was curious about this, "As an inventor who participated in weapons research, what kind of firearm do you think could counter such a new weapon?"

Wayne answered quickly, almost without thinking: "Don't fight it with guns."

"Hmm?" Tom Hagen's expression turned slightly puzzled.

Wayne didn't keep them in suspense. "Firearms are used at close to medium range. If you can't suppress fire with bursts of fire, then when you encounter something with a longer range, you'll definitely have to stay away first."

"If we absolutely have to engage in firepower combat, then the only option is to develop large-caliber machine guns as well?" Tom Hagen pressed.

Wayne was a little amused and exasperated. "No. Aren't there suitable weapons now? If you want to deal with machine guns, just use artillery."

Take Inessa, for example. If an ordinary extraordinary person were to steal her bolt-action rifle and then attempt to kill her, she would truly be doomed.

"artillery?!"

Tom Hagen was clearly shocked, and then seemed a little guilty, asking, "Wasn't that a bit too much?"

Look at you, you've narrowed the path for yourself!

As a modern person, Wayne is more accepting of this kind of thing:
"From the perspective of the order of historical invention, firearms are a kind of 'miniature cannon.' It's not an exaggeration to say that everyone is using the same type of weapon."

If the goal is to engage in a "mid-range sniping" scenario, then artillery also fits the criteria of being "single-shot" and "capable of instantly killing," while also having a much longer range than firearms.

In this era, it is clearly more suitable for military use.

In a real battlefield, true sniping is never about "aiming more accurately," but rather about "aim at a general area." In the future, there will be even more exciting things, where a sniper shot can travel thousands of kilometers and you won't even see a mushroom cloud.

This isn't a video game world; no one says you have to use a "gun" to fight a gun.

Tom Hagen noted this down in his notebook: "Aren't you really considering going to Massachusetts? It's the same opportunity for development, but I think your talents might be better utilized there."

Why do so many people want me to "immigrate" lately?
Wayne casually mentioned his recent "finding" of his maternal grandfather, saying that if he had the chance, he might take a trip to Massachusetts.
Then it seems the reason for Tom Hagen's postponement of his trip has also emerged; it's probably because he's been searching for these related "local specialties." However, Wayne still subtly inquired about something he's been curious about lately:

"When we get to the dock, you'll be boarding the ship and leaving Virginia. Is there anything you'd like to say to an old friend like me? I'm still quite concerned about what exactly happened at the church 'that night'."

Tom Hagen pondered for a moment. “What the newspapers say is ‘fact.’ I don’t actually know more than you do. As for advice… now that the cathedral has a new bishop, you’ll probably need to be more careful when faced with all sorts of ‘goodwill.’”

Well……

That was exactly what I expected.

He wasn't allowed to ask about "that night," so Wayne started asking about other things concerning Richmond and the local church.
Tom Hagen has been here for quite some time, and he no longer hides many things. For example, the banker, Mr. Schwartz, is now described by Tom Hagen as "not a trustworthy person."

As for his old acquaintance, Senator Walter, who was in charge of the postal system, Tom Hagen also offered a method for dealing with him:
"He values ​​gains and losses more than personal attitude. If dealing with you would require more resources than keeping you alive would cause more damage, someone like him wouldn't take the initiative."

As Wayne listened, he couldn't help but start making connections.

The local intelligence organization was also involved in the assassination attempt on Tom Hagen. Since Mr. Walter is such a cunning old fox, what was his motive back then?
Thinking about it this way, Pastor Bazzini might not have died unjustly.
Perhaps the assassination of Tom Hagen was actually a prelude to "Night of Rebellion"...

But Mr. Walter didn't have any problems that night, did he?
Are accomplices not considered masterminds?

……

Tom Hagen boarded the ship in Richmond’s dock area.

He clearly couldn't carry that carload of luggage himself, and the monks weren't there for that kind of work.
However, this business is already well-established in the dock area. Even without mentioning the part-time sailors and waiters already on passenger ships, there are also many dockworkers willing to provide this service.

Tomorrow is Bishop Corleone's funeral. Although there will theoretically be quite a few balls tonight, the Detective Agency hasn't received any invitations.
So Wayne was on "day off" tonight. Since he wasn't in a hurry, he stood on the dock with Tom Hagen, watching his luggage being tagged and loaded onto the ship, and having a final chat.

What was originally an unintentional act inadvertently led Wayne to discover a new "business opportunity."
A gentleman's servant was speaking to the ship's crew, saying that he had just been robbed and his suitcase containing his ticket had been stolen, and asking if he could still board the ship in time.

These days, passenger ships and tickets are divided into different classes. Some people need to have a ticket or cash to board, while others have their names recorded by the ship's company.

That gentleman, like Tom Hagen, belonged to the latter category and was registered on the staff's VIP list. He could board the ship simply by name, and the staff wouldn't even bother to verify their identities too rigorously if there were no duplicates among the boarding passengers.

Wayne couldn't help but ask Tom Hagen, "The police must have a hard time investigating a theft like this, right?"

Tom Hagen nodded. "If you're not a local and need to keep your schedule in order, you'd probably just have to find a way to buy another ticket on the spot. Forget about 'investigating,' you might not even have time to report it to the police."

While considering the feasibility, Wayne continued chatting with Tom Hagen, saying, "It feels like someone needs to take care of these things."

(End of this chapter)