Chapter 27: Capacitor Arrows

Olympia City, as Earth’s hub in the Star Realm, naturally became the largest gathering place.

From national armies and official institutions, to major groups and companies, the Star Realm exploration teams down to hunting squads and Extrahumans, all convened through Olympic City.

Every street in Olympia was bustling with activity.

All commercial activities revolved around one principle – servicing Extrahumans.

Under the starlit sky, fluorescent plants on either side of the streets lit up.

These plants of varied colors, along with the glow from crystal street lamps, illuminated the oddly dressed pedestrians.

Alleys along the streets filled with laughter, crisp laughter from women, dirty jokes, and the smell of alcohol wafted into the streets.

Even in the Star Realm, the pleasure of nightlife was indispensable.

Extrahumans in groups wore full armor revealing only their eyes, some in specially made robes followed by fierce battle pets.

Others wore casual clothes that seemed out of place as if a modern person had traveled back in time.

This person was Ji Xinghuo.

Nearly everyone passing by cast curious glances at him.

He felt awkward; his attire was normal on Earth but stood out in the Star Realm.

In the Star Realm, regardless of profession, wearing various types of armor to enhance defense was common.

The more lacking in close combat skills an Extrahuman was, the more they needed armor.

Not wearing armor was foolish.

“Equipment mart!”

Ji Xinghuo walked two blocks in the East Xia District and finally saw a large equipment store.

Although he had passed several smaller armor shops, they were small, and small shops often overcharged. He trusted large chain stores more, especially those well-known and publicly-listed on Earth.

The three-story equipment store had a large flow of customers.

Extrahumans went in and out.

Ji Xinghuo followed inside, and a male sales assistant at the door caught sight of him, his eyes lighting up, rushing to greet him before others.

Nearby sales assistants regretted their slower reactions.

“Hello, sir, are you here to buy equipment?”

Ji Xinghuo looked at the enthusiastic sales assistant, who was about his age and obviously a novice Extrahuman, with an eager smile.

Without showing weakness, he nodded expressionlessly, “Show me around.”

“Certainly, please follow me.”

The equipment supermarket was fully stocked with weapons, armor, consumables, and everything else an Extrahuman might need, all clearly priced. While perhaps not as high-end as specialty brands, it was still premium-grade.

Ji Xinghuo had researched online before entering the Star Realm.

Many seasoned Extrahumans on various social platforms shared their equipment experiences with detailed videos and articles.

Practicality, quality, cost-effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages were all well-covered.

While some influencers accepted promotions, the overall reviews were trustworthy.

Ji Xinghuo had a shopping list.

More than an hour later, the sales assistant followed Ji Xinghuo, pushing a cart filled with several weapons and pieces of equipment.

An uncontrollable excitement showed in the assistant’s eyes.

The cart’s contents, already worth over 600,000 Asian Yuan, represented a level of spending rarely seen.

He had met three to four days’ worth of sales targets with little effort.

“Mr. Ji, need anything else?”

“Take me to the archery section. I need some arrows,” Ji Xinghuo decided, checking off the last item on his list.

They quickly reached the archery section.

Ji Xinghuo saw various hunting bows displayed, primarily compound bows with a few traditional and light bows, and adjacent was the accessories area.

He purchased a large-capacity “Magnetic Quiver” capable of holding up to 150 arrows, with a magnetic ring at the base to secure the arrowheads, slung diagonally at his back preventing the arrows from falling out during movement.

The magnetic quiver cost three thousand Asian Yuan.

He also bought a compound bow maintenance kit including two spare bowstrings and two pulley sets, costing over a thousand Asian Yuan.

Then came the arrows.

Previously, at the archery range, Ji Xinghuo used training arrows with streamlined heads, which lacked the killing power and penetration of hunting arrowheads.

Hunting arrowheads came in many types, each brand having its unique features.

After browsing through the arrow section, Ji Xinghuo had a clear idea.

He bought arrowheads, shafts, and fletchings separately.

For highly protected targets, he purchased 30 solid armor-piercing arrowheads combined with heavier, thicker shafts for greater penetration; for less protected targets, he chose 30 “Black Widow” hollow triangular arrowheads, extremely sharp for causing significant blood loss.

Additionally, he got 90 willow leaf arrowheads intended for long-range standard targets.

The shafts varied in weight—30, 40, and 50 grams—heavier ones paired with stronger bows for closer targets.

Fletchings were either three or four-feathered, spiral or straight, affecting the arrow’s speed and accuracy.

Usually, he would assemble different arrows for various needs.

In emergencies, he could quickly change arrowheads to assemble more suitable arrows.

Following Ji Xinghuo’s specifications, the sales assistant completed the purchase, packaging a large batch of arrowheads, shafts, and fletchings carefully into the shopping cart.

These arrow purchases cost over ten thousand Asian Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, are you a ranger?” the sales assistant suddenly asked.

“Yes.”

“Seeing your choice of arrows, your archery skills must be quite exceptional, far better than a half-trained ranger like me,” complimented the sales assistant, then adding, “We got a batch of special arrows last week, interested?”

Ji Xinghuo, having completed his shopping, raised an eyebrow, “What kind of special arrows?”

“Capacitor arrows.”

Ji Xinghuo paused; he was familiar with these arrows, made according to electrical principles but using materials from the Star Realm, pricey but powerful.

When a capacitor arrow hits a target, it releases a high-voltage current combining both trauma and electric shock effects.

Very powerful!

Of course, they were also ridiculously expensive.

If Ji Xinghuo were just an ordinary ranger, these wouldn’t interest him, but he possessed a rotating magnetic field, enhancing the capacitor arrow’s lethality.

“Show me.”

“Alright!”

The sales assistant was both surprised and delighted.

He casually mentioned capacitor arrows to every customer buying arrows, never expecting Ji Xinghuo to actually be interested.

They went to a VIP room in the store, and soon the sales assistant and someone appearing to be the store manager returned carrying a box.

“Mr. Ji, these are the capacitor arrows.”

The manager smoothly took over, opening the box and handing a silver arrow to Ji Xinghuo.

“Please check.”

Ji Xinghuo took it; the arrow weighed about 45 grams, was cool to the touch, and extremely durable, seemingly a metallic material.

The arrow’s magnetic field was intense, its magnetic lines filled with a unique “aesthetic,” clearly not ordinary metal.

“The main material of the capacitor arrow is yttrium iron superconducting alloy.”

The store manager explained, “Its internal structure is a variant of a capacitor, with the arrowhead and tail being the capacitor’s two poles. The tail is a unique Star Realm aether piezoelectric crystal that produces high-voltage current under stress, turning the whole arrow into an electrostatic field. When fired, it instantly releases all its charge, delivering a high-temperature electric shock.”

“Even without triggering an electric shock, the arrow itself is quite lethal.”

“If you have electricity-related abilities, you can amplify the current when shooting, enhancing its power.”

The manager continued explaining the capacitor arrow. Ji Xinghuo, not listening further, simply asked, “How much?”

“Each for 12,000 Asian Yuan.”

Ji Xinghuo instinctively shook his head; the 150 arrows he had just bought were just over ten thousand Asian Yuan in total, and one capacitor arrow was more expensive than all of them combined.

He returned the arrow to the box, “Too expensive.”

“Mr. Ji, as you know the price of superconducting alloys is calculated by the gram, and yttrium iron superconducting alloy is one of the rarest. If our store sold it cheaper, you might doubt its quality,” the store manager patiently explained, eager to make the sale.

Superconducting alloys were one of the most valuable resources in the Star Realm, extremely significant in market value.

Since centuries ago when scientists discovered superconducting materials, efforts to find room-temperature superconductors continued without success.

Until the start of engagement.

Earth’s nations discovered superconducting mines in the Star Realm. After mining and refining, various types of natural superconducting materials were obtained.

These superconducting alloys could be used at room temperature and even high temperatures without affecting performance.

The emergence of superconducting alloys greatly propelled Earth’s technological development.

The most common applications are superconducting highways, maglev cars, vacuum-tube maglev trains, and superconducting shield arrays built using nuclear fusion energy, as well as aerospace fighters, deeply impacting Earth’s development trajectory.

As Ji Xinghuo knew, the production of yttrium iron superconducting alloy was low, and prices remained high.

“If I buy ten, what discount can you offer?”

The store manager thought for a few seconds, bit his lip, “At most, down to ten thousand each. That’s the deepest discount I can authorize.”

“Deal, wrap them up,” Ji Xinghuo didn’t haggle further.

Both the manager and sales assistant were excited.

Moments later.

Ji Xinghuo, now in a camouflaged ceramic-steel light armor, the most expensive equipment he’d bought today, walked out of the equipment store.

Its price was a whopping 480,000 Asian Yuan!

He had a flat goose-wing knife hanging at his waist, priced at 18,000, and a tactical survival short knife costing 9,000 Asian Yuan.

On his left wrist, he wore a “Star Realm Mechanical Watch,” calibrated to a 50-hour scale, marking the switch between day and star night.

His shoulder bag carried a lightweight tent, sleeping bag, a first-aid box with seven types of medicine, and a compound bow maintenance kit with a few compressed biscuits, and a water collector. Even this backpack was costly, over a thousand Asian Yuan.

Including the magnetic quiver and 150 regular arrows, along with 10 capacitor arrows.

This trip to the store had Ji Xinghuo spending a total of 780,000!

Including the “Yi Feng” compound hunting bow gifted by Lu Yunhai, his total gear was worth over 800,000, rivaling most rangers.

This outfit made him look quite normal on the streets.

Instead of returning to his hotel, Ji Xinghuo entered a nearby “Recruitment Center” to see if there were suitable teams to join.