Fang Senyan had just retrieved the milky white orb from the space within his mark and placed it on the table. As the surrounding milky luminescence faded, the contents of the orb clattered onto the wood, revealing, unmistakably, a weapon shimmering with an indescribable light.

Before Fang Senyan could fully register the weapon's shape, his attention was first caught by the scattered components lying across the tabletop.

Fang Senyan’s memory was always quite sharp, and of course, he recognized these parts as coming from the two weapons, Ambition and Repentance. The way the pieces had fallen suggested a rather gruesome scene, as if two combatants had fought to the death in an arena, their limbs, ears, and noses severed and strewn across the ground in a brutal tableau!

The parts appeared deeply corroded, as if they had lain exposed to the air for centuries, their spiritual energy and latent power seemingly long since dissipated.

What materialized before Fang Senyan was unequivocally a brand-new weapon: it was a silver-white, double-barreled shotgun!!!

The two barrels, lying side-by-side, were clearly a composite forged from the barrels of Ambition and Repentance. Between the hardness and coldness of the metal, an utterly ruthless quality seemed to flow.

The stock beneath the barrels appeared to be crafted from meticulously worked rosewood, its light reddish-brown grain hinting at a long accumulation of time. The silver-white metal of the bridge and the trigger guard faintly exuded an air of sacredness and sanctity.

Fang Senyan reached out to touch it; a sensation of fine, cool, and unyielding hardness traveled up his arm, causing him to feel momentarily lost in a daze. He felt transformed, as if he had become a superior being capable of passing judgment with every gesture. This was not the crude, filthy, brutal executioner of the common meaning, but rather the zealous fanatic of the Inquisition, delivering death to all before him amidst the devout and melodious chanting of hymns!

Clearly, though the specifics were unknown, the majority of the components from Ambition and Repentance had been disassembled and reassembled to form this entirely new weapon. Furthermore, this weapon was no longer a flintlock, having evolved into a more advanced breech-loader.

However, because Ambition and Repentance, despite sharing the same basic model, retained distinct colorations—Repentance having been carefully preserved, while Ambition passed through Paul’s hands before accompanying Fang Senyan through countless campaigns—the latter looked significantly more battered and ancient.

Consequently, the seams where the new weapon had been pieced together were strikingly obvious, making it possible to discern precisely which parts belonged to the former Ambition and which belonged to the former Repentance.

Under Fang Senyan’s gaze, a string of data materialized: Judgment (Double-Barreled, Trigger-Fired Breech-Loader) Origin: Navarre "Flintspark" Armory Rarity: Dark Gold (Special) Attack Power: 201-301 Attack Type: Holy (Holy attribute attacks deal 150% extra damage to enemies with the Evil attribute, and only 50% damage to enemies carrying the Holy attribute. Furthermore, unless the enemy possesses specific Holy resistance, their Defense rating is automatically reduced by 50% when struck by Holy attacks.) Materials: Pine Wood (from a cross consecrated in a cathedral for one hundred years), Iron (refined with holy water), Silver (melted from a silver basin that held holy water for one hundred and seventy-five years) Attachable Devices: Stock, Sling Attached: West VII Tactical Stock, granting an additional +15 bonus to shooting accuracy. Attached: Lexington Rifle Sling, increasing critical hit chance on vital points by 10%. Optimal Range (for maximum attack power of 601): Within 10 meters. Effective Range (range where damage is guaranteed): Within 30 meters. Weight: 4.2 kilograms. Overall Length: 350 mm. Magazine Capacity: 1 round + 1 extra slot modification (1 round). Reload Interval: 1 minute (for extra slot modification). Usage Requirements: Strength must be 50 or higher, Stamina must be 60 or higher. Infinite ammunition is possible, but manual reloading with Cinder Silver rounds grants an additional 50% damage bonus against Evil Undead. Perception +7 Agility +7 Strength +7 Special Passive Ability: Evolvable (Inherited from Ambition). Weapons bearing the Evolvable attribute will attempt to continuously absorb various powers from the destruction of their enemies to enhance their own capabilities. Although this is a lengthy process, given sufficient time and opportunity, they may ascend to a higher quality tier. Passive Ability: Weapon of Carnage II (Evolved due to Ambition). This weapon has slain significant figures and excels at exploiting enemy weaknesses; the stronger the opponent, the higher the bonus damage multiplier (fluctuating between 10% and 40%, with 10% being the baseline for common Elite enemies). Active Ability: Heretic’s Scourge (A new ability resulting from the fusion of the two weapons). Wash away your sins with your blood and life. Amen. Designates all enemies within a specified range as Heretics, temporarily transforming their attributes into Evil Undead. When an enemy is declared a Heretic, 50% of any damage you inflict upon them (not just damage from Judgment) is converted into Holy Light, healing your wounds. Once the total healing effect reaches 40% of the wielder’s current health, the enemy's Heretic status is removed. Simultaneously upon declaring the Heretic status, powerful Holy Light transforms the rounds in the barrels into shrapnel, turning your next strike into an area-of-effect attack that is guaranteed to hit the targeted enemies and stun them for five seconds. Cooldown for Heretic’s Scourge: Eight minutes. Flintlock Weapon Passive Trait: Charging II: When out of combat, the weapon gradually builds up damage for its next attack, accumulating until the bonus damage reaches 100%. Note: The accumulated bonus damage is lost after firing and will reset to zero only after returning to a non-combat state. Pistol-Class Additional Trait: Shooting accuracy +10%, Shooting distance -10%. All attacks and abilities of this weapon prioritize Domain Priority! Description: This is a powerful weapon embodying the jungle law of the strong preying on the weak; unfortunately, Repentance appears to have been the loser. Engraved on the grip in small lettering: Hahaha, that bastard Repentance finally lost to me. I, Ambition, am the strongest!

After reviewing the attributes of Judgment, Fang Senyan felt a vein throb in his temple. Even with his vivid imagination, he was utterly bewildered by the saccharine descriptions attached to the two firearms.

Consider the utterly disarming dialogue: Repentance stated: "This gun has always yearned to be reunited with its brother." Ambition countered: "This gun has always longed to become stronger before meeting its brother."

What tender exchanges between long-lost siblings! At the time, Fang Senyan had interpreted Ambition’s desire to "become stronger" as something inspirational—the profound pride of returning home successful after achieving greatness to stand before a brother or kin.

But Fang Senyan seemed to have guessed the beginning without predicting the end.

Now, it appeared these two weapons were the ultimate illustration of brotherly betrayal. Their inscriptions hinted at a hidden subtext: I long to reunite with it… so I can finally settle the blood debt from that year!

However, Fang Senyan was even more perplexed why Ambition emerged victorious in their confrontation. Logically, a Dark Gold quality item versus a Black item should have resulted in an undisputed annihilation. But he suspected the "Evolvable" attribute had played its part; it must have been a hidden trait of Ambition that remained dormant due to its prior quality level.

Regardless of the messy backstory, Fang Senyan felt a surge of confidence regarding his current mission now that he possessed this weapon, and his mood inevitably lifted.

At this point, Zih and the others had still not returned, and the gold mine remained in a deep, contented sleep. Having no other option, Fang Senyan left a recorded message detailing the entire sequence of events before heading off to report to the Hall of Honor.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Honor, Fang Senyan entered his designated private room, sat down, and pulled out the conscription order. Swiftly, while still seated, he felt himself sliding down a passage, ultimately arriving at the entrance to a vast-looking corridor.

Fang Senyan proceeded about a hundred meters down this corridor when he was met by an escort—a young Second Lieutenant dressed in an impeccably crisp uniform. The officer’s face initially held a flicker of impatience, but upon clearly reading Fang Senyan’s rank insignia of Lieutenant Colonel, his demeanor instantly sobered. He snapped to attention and saluted crisply: "Sir, I have been ordered to receive you and escort you to the assembly ship. Please follow me."

Fang Senyan noticed the Second Lieutenant was somewhat lean and pale. Recalling the explanations given by the miners, he couldn't help but ask, "Lieutenant, are you a Contractor?"

The Second Lieutenant snapped back to attention, his tone formal: "Colonel, I was born on the planet Birmingham, located in the sixth spiral arm of the Milky Way. I am not a temporal-spatial Contractor."

Fang Senyan felt a surge of excitement; this was his first direct contact with the future iteration of humanity. Yet, the man seemed little different from people in his own era, perhaps just physically frailer. Fang Senyan observed subtle mechanical straps around the Lieutenant's joints—elbows, knees, and ankles—likely standard-issue muscle augmentation support devices.

Following the Lieutenant for another hundred meters, the corridor ahead began to turn transparent, revealing the vast, magnificent expanse of the outer starry sky and the deep black vault above. Only then did Fang Senyan realize the passage was essentially a massive conduit, with an advanced, droplet-shaped spacecraft hovering at its terminus, currently docked.

Just as he was about to board the vessel, Fang Senyan turned back for one last look. He saw, spread out before him, the entire panorama of the Nightmare Space he had just occupied—specifically, the entirety of Noah C Space!