Among the newly refreshed items in the Shop, two were duplicates. But Dominik wasn't annoyed by this; instead, he felt incredibly fortunate.
These two items were the complete individual combat systems from Ghost Recon: Future Soldier.
An individual combat system is an integrated platform comprising protection, weaponry, and mobility, designed to drastically enhance infantry combat effectiveness and survivability through cutting-edge technology. It includes a smart helmet, a compact plate carrier, a life support system, encrypted comms, a fire control network, a wearable individual computer, and advanced weaponry.
Ghost Recon originated from the renowned American military thriller author Tom Clancy. In Dominik's previous life, Tom Clancy's works had influenced not only video games and movies, but had even inspired actual weapon and tactical designs used by the military.
The individual combat system from Ghost Recon: Future Soldier offered three loadout choices: one was an urban/casual outfit featuring tactical jeans and a moisture-wicking short-sleeved shirt, suitable for urban combat and arid environments. Another was a sleek, black special operations suit designed for night combat. The third was a dense jungle camouflage suit for rainforest operations.
However, the most terrifying and unique aspect of this combat system was that the clothing, bulletproof vest, helmet, and tactical belt were all treated with a highly advanced nano-coating that enabled true optical camouflage.
Optical camouflage relied on the suit's nano-coating. After the wearable individual computer collected ambient lighting and spatial data from the surroundings, it actively shifted the color and light refraction of the user's silhouette to blend seamlessly with the environment.
Simply put, it was active invisibility.
The Future Soldier individual system also boasted two other major features. First, a shoulder-mounted micro-missile launcher—roughly 30 centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide—capable of firing three small, guided anti-armor missiles with an effective range of two hundred meters. It was a devastatingly potent weapon against light armored vehicles and technicals, though insufficient to crack a main battle tank.
The second feature was the combination of recoverable sensor grenades and the Cross-Com holographic glasses.
When the sensor grenade was deployed, it emitted a pulsed scan to detect nearby individuals without friendly IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) markers, actively highlighting personnel carrying weapons. Combined with the augmented reality of the Cross-Com holographic glasses, even enemies hiding behind solid concrete walls would be highlighted as glowing red silhouettes in the user's vision.
However, the System was balanced. Each Future Soldier kit only came with four sensor grenades, and since such advanced technology could not yet be manufactured or resupplied in this current world, these sensor grenades had to be meticulously recovered after each firefight.
What made Dominik even more excited was the price. This entire Future Soldier integrated system only cost 35 Points to exchange, which was incredibly generous compared to the apocalyptic cost of the BFG.
Dominik looked at the two duplicate listings and asked, "System, how are these Ghost Recon: Future Soldier systems dispensed?"
[To the Host: You must select one type of loadout from the three options: Urban Combat, Night Combat, or Jungle Combat. Once a selection is made, that specific Shop listing will be consumed.]
"So, even though there are two duplicate listings, I can only choose one combat type for each purchase, right?" Dominik asked.
[Affirmative.]
Hearing the System's reply, Dominik unhesitatingly chose the Urban Combat loadout. After all, the urban variant leaned heavily toward casual "gray man" wear, which was much more fitting for a private contractor trying to blend into a sprawling metropolis like Bangkok.
After finalizing his decision, Dominik commanded, "System, I want to purchase both listings. Two Urban Combat Ghost Recon: Future Soldier integrated systems."
[Acknowledged. Deducting 70 Points from Host. Host has 75 Points remaining.]
As soon as the System's cold prompt faded, two large, matte-black equipment crates materialized out of thin air in the center of the living room. There was no flash of light, no dramatic sound—they simply existed where there was empty space a microsecond prior.
"What the..."
Dominik's eyes widened as he stared at the heavy Pelican-style crates resting on the rug.
He glanced over at Laura on the sofa. After confirming she was still sound asleep, he walked over to the crates and knelt beside them.
Click, clack. Dominik unfastened the heavy steel latches.
What appeared before him was a tactical masterpiece. Neatly folded inside were light blue, reinforced tactical jeans, a khaki moisture-wicking short-sleeved shirt, a remarkably compact Level IV plate carrier, a high-tensile tactical belt, a customized Kydex holster, a streamlined helmet, the Cross-Com glasses, the sleek shoulder-mounted micro-missile launcher, and four metallic sensor grenades nestled in custom foam cutouts.
The shoulder-mounted launcher already contained three anti-armor missiles. Dominik figured he could likely source similar, dumb-fire munitions from local black market arms dealers once he set up a proper network.
As for the sensor grenades... there were only four. They would need to be used with extreme operational discipline.
After meticulously examining the contents of the first crate, Dominik popped the latches on the second. The technological hardware inside was identical.
The only difference was the clothing. The second set featured dark, ranger-green tactical pants and a black combat shirt—perfectly suited for his Ghost's aesthetic.
Looking at the two massive crates of highly classified, futuristic military hardware sitting in a rented villa, Dominik rubbed his temples, shaking his head helplessly. He murmured softly, "How the hell am I going to explain all this to Ghost?"
[The Host need not worry. Characters summoned by the Host are subjected to reality-bending cognition adjustments regarding the System. They will never question the Host about the origin of equipment purchased from the Shop, nor will they ever become suspicious of sudden materializations.]
Upon hearing the reminder echo in his mind, Dominik let out a breath of relief. "Oh? It's really that convenient?"
"...Mm... Dom..."
Just then, Laura was awakened by the faint clicking of the crate latches. She slowly sat up on the sofa, clutching the blanket around her shoulders. She looked at Dominik with a dazed, exhausted expression.
"Dom, are you done talking with that... what's-his-name? The agent guy? My neck hurts. I want to go sleep in a real bed."
"Yeah, I'm done." Seeing that his sister was finally ready to settle in, Dominik hurriedly closed the crates, stood up, and walked to her side. He gently helped her to her feet. "Do you need me to walk you upstairs to your room?"
"Mm-hm." Laura, blinking away the sleep, shook her head softly. "No need. I can find the stairs myself. I'm not a kid anymore."
"Hehe." Dominik dotingly ruffled her ash-blonde hair. "That's good. What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? I'll cook."
"Hmm..." Laura tilted her head, thinking for a long time before letting out a dramatic sigh. "I've been eating cold canned food and those awful ration bars for days. Tomorrow morning, as long as it's not a compressed biscuit, I don't care what it is."
"It's a deal!" Dominik said with a warm smile. "Go get some sleep. Have a good dream."
"Mm!" Laura nodded vigorously. She turned and headed toward the staircase. But before stepping out of the living room, she paused, offered a small, genuine smile, and said, "You too, Dom. Good night."
"Good night, Laura."
Looking at his sister's retreating figure, a sense of profound relief washed over Dominik. They had made it.
However, the moment the bedroom door clicked shut upstairs, the System's cold, mechanical voice pierced Dominik's mind once again, causing his heart to immediately sink.
[The tutorial phase is complete. Next, this System will issue the Host's true Main Mission. Please listen carefully...]