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SURVIVE Magazine #17 March 2019 is the third pamphlet released with the replica series guns made by Tokyo Marui. SURVIVE Magazine is an in-universe press outlet. #17 focuses on the Lightning Hawk magnum featured in the remake BIOHAZARD RE:2. Scans provided by Chris Sidwell.
In this issue, editor Johnny Takeyama takes on a request to research a previously unknown Kendo Custom in the hands of an unknown private citizen. In the course of this, he discovers the original customer was Barry Burton and manages to have it returned to him after being relinquished by the individual who had it last. |
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PAGE 2
VERIFYING: S.T.A.R.S. Firearms
• FIREARM DETECTIVE
It's been a while since my last scoops. Perhaps because of those, I've become a minor talking point within the industry.
No doubt this is due to the success of my last two articles. Whenever I introduce myself to people in the industry, they always say, "OH! You wrote those articles!"
It's a good thing I don't have to introduce myself, but I think this story will be bigger. I'm a young guy based in Japan with a lot to learn from my seniors. I don't have the kind of experience that'd make someone feel honored to meet me. In contrast to my concerns, I'm grateful that I've received various requests for work, so my worries have become even deeper.
I received an e-mail from quite a distressed old timer. It was titled...
"I need an expert opinion, please"
When I realized this wasn't a spam e-mail, I was stunned. Ever since I left Japan I've been a starving freelancer who'd just turned my only hobby into a job, so there was no way I could offer anything that could be called an expert opinon. It was no good, I'd naturally not be able to.
I was just about to sincerely explain my lack of depth and politely decline.
However, it'd be in good faith to see what it said. So I read the details.
"Dear Sir, I happened to see your articles in SURVIVE Magazine. The contents were very interesting ~OMITTED~ at the same time, they reminded me about a gun a friend of my father's used to have in his possession, and I was surprised how much they matched up with my memory.
The wooden box in the attached photo is clearly marked with the word "KENDO." This is a custom gun from around 1998 with no known origin. If that were all there was to it, it'd just be another KENDO-made custom gun, but I was very intrigued by a letter that came with it. I've attached a photo of the letter.
I've never done any research on this gun before, but if it's of any worthwhile value, I'd like to publicly disclose it in some form. Thank you very much."
Attached were three photos: a wooden box with the letters KENDO printed on it, and a Desert Eagle (hereinafter referred to as D.E.) with the most elaborate customization I've ever seen, at probably 10 inches long. And the letter in question.
...Amazing, this is so cool.
It was rather like the start of a detective novel, where a hopeless PI's given a case where he's out of his depth.
My heart fluttered with excitement. The humble emotions I had earlier vanished, now I was glued to the details of this gun. Indeed, just as I'd done when I visited Umbrella, I took off like a bunny rabbit in order to look into this gun.
VERIFYING: S.T.A.R.S. Firearms
• FIREARM DETECTIVE
It's been a while since my last scoops. Perhaps because of those, I've become a minor talking point within the industry.
No doubt this is due to the success of my last two articles. Whenever I introduce myself to people in the industry, they always say, "OH! You wrote those articles!"
It's a good thing I don't have to introduce myself, but I think this story will be bigger. I'm a young guy based in Japan with a lot to learn from my seniors. I don't have the kind of experience that'd make someone feel honored to meet me. In contrast to my concerns, I'm grateful that I've received various requests for work, so my worries have become even deeper.
I received an e-mail from quite a distressed old timer. It was titled...
"I need an expert opinion, please"
When I realized this wasn't a spam e-mail, I was stunned. Ever since I left Japan I've been a starving freelancer who'd just turned my only hobby into a job, so there was no way I could offer anything that could be called an expert opinon. It was no good, I'd naturally not be able to.
I was just about to sincerely explain my lack of depth and politely decline.
However, it'd be in good faith to see what it said. So I read the details.
"Dear Sir, I happened to see your articles in SURVIVE Magazine. The contents were very interesting ~OMITTED~ at the same time, they reminded me about a gun a friend of my father's used to have in his possession, and I was surprised how much they matched up with my memory.
The wooden box in the attached photo is clearly marked with the word "KENDO." This is a custom gun from around 1998 with no known origin. If that were all there was to it, it'd just be another KENDO-made custom gun, but I was very intrigued by a letter that came with it. I've attached a photo of the letter.
I've never done any research on this gun before, but if it's of any worthwhile value, I'd like to publicly disclose it in some form. Thank you very much."
Attached were three photos: a wooden box with the letters KENDO printed on it, and a Desert Eagle (hereinafter referred to as D.E.) with the most elaborate customization I've ever seen, at probably 10 inches long. And the letter in question.
...Amazing, this is so cool.
It was rather like the start of a detective novel, where a hopeless PI's given a case where he's out of his depth.
My heart fluttered with excitement. The humble emotions I had earlier vanished, now I was glued to the details of this gun. Indeed, just as I'd done when I visited Umbrella, I took off like a bunny rabbit in order to look into this gun.
PAGE 3
■ Name tag saying <PROTO TYPE1>
A valuable clue was attached to the outer box.
It's labeled <Prototype 1.50 Caliber>.
The date was also a precious piece of info.
■ Receipt from Gun Shop KENDO
Hard to read as it's on thermal paper, but it shows the cost of the custom parts. You can estimate the approx. amount of the customizations with this item.
■ Outer box in original condition.
Although it has <deteriorated over time>, the outer box is in very good condition. Presumed to have been used at Gun Shop KENDO at the time.
■ Name tag saying <PROTO TYPE1>
A valuable clue was attached to the outer box.
It's labeled <Prototype 1.50 Caliber>.
The date was also a precious piece of info.
■ Receipt from Gun Shop KENDO
Hard to read as it's on thermal paper, but it shows the cost of the custom parts. You can estimate the approx. amount of the customizations with this item.
■ Outer box in original condition.
Although it has <deteriorated over time>, the outer box is in very good condition. Presumed to have been used at Gun Shop KENDO at the time.
PAGE 4
• A D.E. OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
Having piqued my interest in this project, this D.E. was a very labor intensive custom. You can see its odd shape from the photos. It has a 10-inch long barrel with a Magnaport compensator. The barrel's sheathed to reduce weight, with ventilated ribs underneath supporting the Picatinny rail.
Both the front and rear sights are custom-made, with a safety that's been reduced in size. The grips have also been replaced with much slimmer ones, a type that can't be found on the market. It's a half-silver model, reflective of the times, with a matte black slide grouping and silver frame, as was standard for combat autos in the 1990s.
The grip section seems too simple to be a D.E. for target shooting, and if you're one to choose a handgun for hunting, you probably don't need this much customization.
It also doesn't make sense for them to have commissioned a gunsmith who was probably obscure at the time. In the first place, it doesn't have the gooey luxury of a rich man's custom. Expensive custom firearms are usually decorated to compete with the glitz and glamour of other guns, but I don't notice any such decoration.
If that were the case, the reason for the existence of a large magnum in this area would be to simply play with it in long shooting sessions...
In any case, if a customization of this magnum were to be made, it would need to be carefully designed for its intended use. In addition, there's no way a craftsman who makes something of this magnitude would design it without an intention. In other words, surely this gun must've been designed with a clear purpose...?
At this point I read through the letter, once again stunned by the contents, which made me feel like the gun might be of extraordinary, rather than simply intriguing, origin.
Its contents were as follows.
Dear Barry
I got the D.E. ya asked for, but it turned out a little different from your order.
I think Joe went off the rails again. Sorry 'bout that.
He dared me to say I won't go fishing with someone who doesn't appreciate what a beauty this is, but don't you worry. It's the same old.
I'm afraid to say that while this long barrel's a sure shot, it's not very heavy-duty, so I don't think it's quite what ya ordered.
I haven't put the medallion on yet, but since you insisted I show it to ya, Barry, I'll leave it with ya for a while first.
If ya got any complaints, feel free to grumble, but I ain't denying the fact I caught a bigger bass than you last month.
Robert
• A D.E. OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN
Having piqued my interest in this project, this D.E. was a very labor intensive custom. You can see its odd shape from the photos. It has a 10-inch long barrel with a Magnaport compensator. The barrel's sheathed to reduce weight, with ventilated ribs underneath supporting the Picatinny rail.
Both the front and rear sights are custom-made, with a safety that's been reduced in size. The grips have also been replaced with much slimmer ones, a type that can't be found on the market. It's a half-silver model, reflective of the times, with a matte black slide grouping and silver frame, as was standard for combat autos in the 1990s.
The grip section seems too simple to be a D.E. for target shooting, and if you're one to choose a handgun for hunting, you probably don't need this much customization.
It also doesn't make sense for them to have commissioned a gunsmith who was probably obscure at the time. In the first place, it doesn't have the gooey luxury of a rich man's custom. Expensive custom firearms are usually decorated to compete with the glitz and glamour of other guns, but I don't notice any such decoration.
If that were the case, the reason for the existence of a large magnum in this area would be to simply play with it in long shooting sessions...
In any case, if a customization of this magnum were to be made, it would need to be carefully designed for its intended use. In addition, there's no way a craftsman who makes something of this magnitude would design it without an intention. In other words, surely this gun must've been designed with a clear purpose...?
At this point I read through the letter, once again stunned by the contents, which made me feel like the gun might be of extraordinary, rather than simply intriguing, origin.
Its contents were as follows.
Dear Barry
I got the D.E. ya asked for, but it turned out a little different from your order.
I think Joe went off the rails again. Sorry 'bout that.
He dared me to say I won't go fishing with someone who doesn't appreciate what a beauty this is, but don't you worry. It's the same old.
I'm afraid to say that while this long barrel's a sure shot, it's not very heavy-duty, so I don't think it's quite what ya ordered.
I haven't put the medallion on yet, but since you insisted I show it to ya, Barry, I'll leave it with ya for a while first.
If ya got any complaints, feel free to grumble, but I ain't denying the fact I caught a bigger bass than you last month.
Robert
PAGE 5
■ Gun Shop KENDO Wooden Box
A sturdy wooden box branded with the Lightning Hawk logo.
It's also marked as Prototype 1.
■ Gun Shop KENDO Wooden Box
A sturdy wooden box branded with the Lightning Hawk logo.
It's also marked as Prototype 1.
PAGE 6
As for the tone of voice, it's exaggerated from the handwriting on the letter.
Let's straighten this out. There are three characters.
• "Barry", the person who placed the order
• "Joe", the person who might've done the customizing
• "Robert", the person who might've sent the letter
No family names are listed, but the two below are easy to guess.
They're the owners of Gun Shop KENDO, Joe Kendo and co-owner Robert Kendo.
These two are brothers, so the way the letter goes is consistent.
So, it's almost certain this firearm's a custom gun from Gunsmith KENDO.
At this point, it'd be enough for an article. As far as I know, there are no KENDO custom guns in existence. To be more precise, I believe that Umbrella Co., where I'd gone for interviews, has an original Samurai Edge in storage, but I've yet to verify that.
Besides that, there are none on the market. They were lost in the Sterilization Strategy.
There are said to possibly be some custom guns that left the state, but even now, 20 years later, their existence has yet to be confirmed.
Therefore it's very possible this D.E.'s one of the most valuable custom guns made by KENDO.
At this point I could return it to the client and the rest of the report would be enough to summarize the crap out of Gun Shop KENDO.
And I'd get a KENDO report article. It'd be a win-win situation for everyone.
But my cheap detective side got the better of me and this thought came to me in the motel bathtub.
"Who's this buyer, Barry?"
■ Joe Kendo
The gunsmith who made the S.T.A.R.S. standard handgun Samurai Edge.
He has his own gun shop KENDO in the San Francisco suburbs.
He was a SWAT officer for the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) for many years, and after retiring, he worked as an instructor for S.T.A.R.S. from April 1996 to December 1997.
■ Robert "Bob" Kendo
The Japanese-American owner of "Kendo Gun Shop", a gun store in Raccoon City. 40-years-old at the time.
His older brother, Joe Kendo, is the one who customized the "Samurai Edge," a custom handgun for S.T.A.R.S.
He was best friends with Barry Burton and they often went fishing together as a hobby.
When Raccoon City was struck by a biohazard, he provided free weapons to surviving citizens, while he himself holed up in his store.
As for the tone of voice, it's exaggerated from the handwriting on the letter.
Let's straighten this out. There are three characters.
• "Barry", the person who placed the order
• "Joe", the person who might've done the customizing
• "Robert", the person who might've sent the letter
No family names are listed, but the two below are easy to guess.
They're the owners of Gun Shop KENDO, Joe Kendo and co-owner Robert Kendo.
These two are brothers, so the way the letter goes is consistent.
So, it's almost certain this firearm's a custom gun from Gunsmith KENDO.
At this point, it'd be enough for an article. As far as I know, there are no KENDO custom guns in existence. To be more precise, I believe that Umbrella Co., where I'd gone for interviews, has an original Samurai Edge in storage, but I've yet to verify that.
Besides that, there are none on the market. They were lost in the Sterilization Strategy.
There are said to possibly be some custom guns that left the state, but even now, 20 years later, their existence has yet to be confirmed.
Therefore it's very possible this D.E.'s one of the most valuable custom guns made by KENDO.
At this point I could return it to the client and the rest of the report would be enough to summarize the crap out of Gun Shop KENDO.
And I'd get a KENDO report article. It'd be a win-win situation for everyone.
But my cheap detective side got the better of me and this thought came to me in the motel bathtub.
"Who's this buyer, Barry?"
■ Joe Kendo
The gunsmith who made the S.T.A.R.S. standard handgun Samurai Edge.
He has his own gun shop KENDO in the San Francisco suburbs.
He was a SWAT officer for the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) for many years, and after retiring, he worked as an instructor for S.T.A.R.S. from April 1996 to December 1997.
■ Robert "Bob" Kendo
The Japanese-American owner of "Kendo Gun Shop", a gun store in Raccoon City. 40-years-old at the time.
His older brother, Joe Kendo, is the one who customized the "Samurai Edge," a custom handgun for S.T.A.R.S.
He was best friends with Barry Burton and they often went fishing together as a hobby.
When Raccoon City was struck by a biohazard, he provided free weapons to surviving citizens, while he himself holed up in his store.
PAGE 7
■ Gun Shop KENDO
A gun store located on Flower Street near the police station.
The owner was Robert Kendo.
He was a close friend of S.T.A.R.S. officers and delivered their custom handguns. At the time of the biohazard outbreak, he distributed firearms to citizens for free out of good will, so there were hardly any guns or ammo left in the store. So it's been reported.
■ Gun Shop KENDO
A gun store located on Flower Street near the police station.
The owner was Robert Kendo.
He was a close friend of S.T.A.R.S. officers and delivered their custom handguns. At the time of the biohazard outbreak, he distributed firearms to citizens for free out of good will, so there were hardly any guns or ammo left in the store. So it's been reported.
PAGE 8
• GUN SHOP KENDO and S.T.A.R.S.
KENDO and Barry-something. This combo makes me think of Mr. Barry Burton, a member of S.T.A.R.S. What made him famous were his activities in the "Sein Island Incident", but more than anything, the fact he's a S.T.A.R.S. member made this incident a major one.
If I hadn't thought of him, I might not have gotten so involved with this request.
It was now time to start my detective work.
I tapped into the very edges of my knowledge of Raccoon City and KENDO.
KENDO itself was founded in April 1991, according to the company's registry. Joe Kendo was head of the company at the time it was established. It was located in Raccoon City... just a minute's walk from the police station.
The business was a gun store, and judging from its tax records, it didn't seem to be in any financial troubles. In fact, it might've been a first-class gun store in the middle of nowhere.
Considering this income should come from their gunsmithing business, there must be many more custom guns left in the world.
I looked for any advertisements from the time they were founded, but unfortunately I couldn't find any in gun magazines or the local newspapers in Raccoon.
It's unlikely they'd have received many requests for custom guns without advertising, so it's reasonable to assume their main revenue came from other sources.
Incidentally, unlike today, most custom guns were one-offs back then. Only a few got featured in magazines while those like the Bob Chow and Boland were rare, never mass-produced unless a famous shooter sporting them won a championship, or they were widely adopted by a public organization... Custom guns like this one were rare even back then, so there's no question about there not being even a sliver of a trace of it.
I concluded KENDO was just another small gunsmith that never made it out into the world.
So what were their sources of income?
Normally, the main customers of a gun store in a rural area like this are hunters and plinkers. Their biggest source of income's the ammunition they consume.
If that's the case, who'd be bothered to place the order? It's not a cheap price to pay for such a customization. One possibility's that perhaps it was a powerful person in the city, or a business owner. Considering the fact KENDO's custom guns haven't been documented outside of Raccoon City, it was reasonable to assume it was someone based in Raccoon City.
Based on the above reasoning, I picked out people from among businesses in Raccoon City with the matching first name Barry.
This was due to needing to take into consideration the possibility of it being someone else with the same name as Mr. Barry Burton.
The other customers that came to mind were people from the Raccoon Police Department, so I looked into it to determine if the order was placed by Mr. Barry Burton or S.T.A.R.S. If a gun store's next to a police station, it's natural to assume local police officers would also be customers.
If this is the case, then approaching KENDO could be taken from either the business operator or R.P.D. to the client.
I hypothesized this would be the case and searched both the Web and local newspaper articles of the time.
Then I came across a small article from 1995.
It was nothing more than an article about a fishing tournament, but Robert Kendo's name was in it.
• GUN SHOP KENDO and S.T.A.R.S.
KENDO and Barry-something. This combo makes me think of Mr. Barry Burton, a member of S.T.A.R.S. What made him famous were his activities in the "Sein Island Incident", but more than anything, the fact he's a S.T.A.R.S. member made this incident a major one.
If I hadn't thought of him, I might not have gotten so involved with this request.
It was now time to start my detective work.
I tapped into the very edges of my knowledge of Raccoon City and KENDO.
KENDO itself was founded in April 1991, according to the company's registry. Joe Kendo was head of the company at the time it was established. It was located in Raccoon City... just a minute's walk from the police station.
The business was a gun store, and judging from its tax records, it didn't seem to be in any financial troubles. In fact, it might've been a first-class gun store in the middle of nowhere.
Considering this income should come from their gunsmithing business, there must be many more custom guns left in the world.
I looked for any advertisements from the time they were founded, but unfortunately I couldn't find any in gun magazines or the local newspapers in Raccoon.
It's unlikely they'd have received many requests for custom guns without advertising, so it's reasonable to assume their main revenue came from other sources.
Incidentally, unlike today, most custom guns were one-offs back then. Only a few got featured in magazines while those like the Bob Chow and Boland were rare, never mass-produced unless a famous shooter sporting them won a championship, or they were widely adopted by a public organization... Custom guns like this one were rare even back then, so there's no question about there not being even a sliver of a trace of it.
I concluded KENDO was just another small gunsmith that never made it out into the world.
So what were their sources of income?
Normally, the main customers of a gun store in a rural area like this are hunters and plinkers. Their biggest source of income's the ammunition they consume.
If that's the case, who'd be bothered to place the order? It's not a cheap price to pay for such a customization. One possibility's that perhaps it was a powerful person in the city, or a business owner. Considering the fact KENDO's custom guns haven't been documented outside of Raccoon City, it was reasonable to assume it was someone based in Raccoon City.
Based on the above reasoning, I picked out people from among businesses in Raccoon City with the matching first name Barry.
This was due to needing to take into consideration the possibility of it being someone else with the same name as Mr. Barry Burton.
The other customers that came to mind were people from the Raccoon Police Department, so I looked into it to determine if the order was placed by Mr. Barry Burton or S.T.A.R.S. If a gun store's next to a police station, it's natural to assume local police officers would also be customers.
If this is the case, then approaching KENDO could be taken from either the business operator or R.P.D. to the client.
I hypothesized this would be the case and searched both the Web and local newspaper articles of the time.
Then I came across a small article from 1995.
It was nothing more than an article about a fishing tournament, but Robert Kendo's name was in it.
PAGE 9
■ Barry Burton
Former S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team officer.
His position at the time was Backup Man.
He's been a close friend of Chris Redfield since they were in the Air Force.
He's a self-confessed gun enthusiast, well-versed in large caliber heavy weapons like the Colt Python, .44 Magnum, and the Samurai Edge Barry Burton Model.
■ Barry Burton
Former S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team officer.
His position at the time was Backup Man.
He's been a close friend of Chris Redfield since they were in the Air Force.
He's a self-confessed gun enthusiast, well-versed in large caliber heavy weapons like the Colt Python, .44 Magnum, and the Samurai Edge Barry Burton Model.
PAGE 10
The article was about an R.P.D. officer winning a fishing tournament.
It read, "The winner of the bass fishing tournament held in Raccoon City was Barry, with gun store owner Robert Kendo coming in as runner-up," and it goes on to say, "Barry, a regular at Robert's gun store....didn't want to lose to his friend. He's going to use his winnings to celebrate with his colleagues at the station, and he'd like Robert to join him."
Bingo, it lines up.
This article alone didn't serve as confirmation, but it meant at least some R.P.D. officers visited KENDO. Next, if I could get a list of R.P.D. employees from 1996 to 1998, I could pick out anyone named "Barry" from the list, taking into account the possibility of someone else in the department with the same name. At this stage, I could make an objective theory.
"This D.E.'s a custom model ordered from KENDO by someone called Barry, a member of the R.P.D. or a Raccoon City business owner." If I could link it to the original owner, I could get details on the gun from them or their family.
Luckily, there were no business owners in Raccoon City named Barry at the time. I even looked up those people's family members, but there were only three people who matched with the name Barry, two of whom were minors. The last one was a church owner, 85-years-old at the time. There's a possibility the pastor was a gun fanatic, but considering his age, that might be a bit of a leap. I also tried to explore the other possibility, the R.P.D. staff, but there was no R.P.D. staff directory at that time. Paper-based lists were still the norm back then, and there was no digital means of management.
The use of IT was still in its infancy, the ADSL days. Clinton's "information highway initiative" was launched in 1993, but there's no way this rural police department's roster could've been managed through a server a mere three years later. At most, it was probably stored on a PC in the station.
If that's the case, there's a good chance it was lost in the Sterilization Strategy. If it was a paper list, so much the better. I wasn't thinking straight.
At any rate, when in doubt, search. In this day and age, there's a vast amount of information floating in the sea of the Internet, built by exemplary search engines and database enthusiasts. I might've been able to find a clue that'd lead me to a result. From that point forward it was just a matter of luck, so I put in their full name with "KENDO" in the "and" search box, then searched from one end to the other looking for any traces. In addition to search engines, I also scoured articles in the public library, just to make sure I didn't miss any minor remnants.
When I searched for "Barry something and KENDO," however, everything I found on the Internet and in the library was about the Samurai Edge, I couldn't find any other thread that connected to KENDO. The fact there was so much information about the Samurai Edge was confusing.
It's possible there was so much information that some of the details were buried, but I couldn't seem to find them.
I tried switching my mindset and proceeded to investigate many various aspects, but I couldn't find their name among any public incidents or accidents, let alone KENDO.
The article was about an R.P.D. officer winning a fishing tournament.
It read, "The winner of the bass fishing tournament held in Raccoon City was Barry, with gun store owner Robert Kendo coming in as runner-up," and it goes on to say, "Barry, a regular at Robert's gun store....didn't want to lose to his friend. He's going to use his winnings to celebrate with his colleagues at the station, and he'd like Robert to join him."
Bingo, it lines up.
This article alone didn't serve as confirmation, but it meant at least some R.P.D. officers visited KENDO. Next, if I could get a list of R.P.D. employees from 1996 to 1998, I could pick out anyone named "Barry" from the list, taking into account the possibility of someone else in the department with the same name. At this stage, I could make an objective theory.
"This D.E.'s a custom model ordered from KENDO by someone called Barry, a member of the R.P.D. or a Raccoon City business owner." If I could link it to the original owner, I could get details on the gun from them or their family.
Luckily, there were no business owners in Raccoon City named Barry at the time. I even looked up those people's family members, but there were only three people who matched with the name Barry, two of whom were minors. The last one was a church owner, 85-years-old at the time. There's a possibility the pastor was a gun fanatic, but considering his age, that might be a bit of a leap. I also tried to explore the other possibility, the R.P.D. staff, but there was no R.P.D. staff directory at that time. Paper-based lists were still the norm back then, and there was no digital means of management.
The use of IT was still in its infancy, the ADSL days. Clinton's "information highway initiative" was launched in 1993, but there's no way this rural police department's roster could've been managed through a server a mere three years later. At most, it was probably stored on a PC in the station.
If that's the case, there's a good chance it was lost in the Sterilization Strategy. If it was a paper list, so much the better. I wasn't thinking straight.
At any rate, when in doubt, search. In this day and age, there's a vast amount of information floating in the sea of the Internet, built by exemplary search engines and database enthusiasts. I might've been able to find a clue that'd lead me to a result. From that point forward it was just a matter of luck, so I put in their full name with "KENDO" in the "and" search box, then searched from one end to the other looking for any traces. In addition to search engines, I also scoured articles in the public library, just to make sure I didn't miss any minor remnants.
When I searched for "Barry something and KENDO," however, everything I found on the Internet and in the library was about the Samurai Edge, I couldn't find any other thread that connected to KENDO. The fact there was so much information about the Samurai Edge was confusing.
It's possible there was so much information that some of the details were buried, but I couldn't seem to find them.
I tried switching my mindset and proceeded to investigate many various aspects, but I couldn't find their name among any public incidents or accidents, let alone KENDO.
PAGE 11
■ Wooden Box Contents
This was also kept in its original condition.
If the incident hadn't happened, I'm sure Robert and Barry would've taken this gun to the range and enjoyed test firing it.
■ The Legendary S.T.A.R.S. Handgun <Samurai Edge>
There are no existing Samurai Edge handguns on the market.
Umbrella Co.'s rumored to have an original in storage.
It's equipped with a reinforced slide with a raised center, the Brigadier Slide.
■ Wooden Box Contents
This was also kept in its original condition.
If the incident hadn't happened, I'm sure Robert and Barry would've taken this gun to the range and enjoyed test firing it.
■ The Legendary S.T.A.R.S. Handgun <Samurai Edge>
There are no existing Samurai Edge handguns on the market.
Umbrella Co.'s rumored to have an original in storage.
It's equipped with a reinforced slide with a raised center, the Brigadier Slide.
PAGE 12
• VERIFYING: S.T.A.R.S. & KENDO
Now that I'd come this far, I was under the illusion detective work's my main job, but if you look at the location of Gunsmith KENDO and the R.P.D., and if the letter's addressed to "Barry Burton", you can see a thread that connects them to S.T.A.R.S., and I believed that wasn't a thin line.
However, unexpectedly, no threads showed up.
The name of the gunsmith, Joe Kendo, who always appears in tales of the Samurai Edge, has an aspect of being a victim of the Raccoon Incident. His store, "Gun Shop KENDO," was also destroyed, and his only surviving custom gun is said to be an original Samurai Edge in Umbrella Co.'s collection. If I could prove the D.E.'s a custom gun of his commissioned by S.T.A.R.S., it'd be a new discovery. But that wasn't going to be easy.
After all, this is all information from a lost city, at a time of a fledgling Internet. There's no info left. So now I decided to look for residents of Raccoon City. There's a lot of info here intended to preserve the city's memory.
According to the info I obtained, the owner of Gun Shop KENDO, Joe Kendo, was listed as single, while his brother Robert Kendo along with his wife and daughter were listed as co-owners. All of their fates are unfortunately unknown, but since there are few cases of identification in the Raccoon Incident, there's a high possibility they may have been victims.
Now, the problem was Barry Burton. This name, however, doesn't appear in any Raccoon City related searches. I tried searching for Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, but I couldn't find any official information on S.T.A.R.S. personnel from around 1996. It appears only S.T.A.R.S. personnel are excluded from the search, since people who appear to be R.P.D. personnel at the time are searchable. It doesn't add up that there's no official information about Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine at the time, even though they're names that've gone down as heroes.
So I sent out a message on a gun community SNS to anyone who probably lived near Raccoon at the time, asking if they knew anything about KENDO.
Three people responded, one of them said he'd actually ordered a custom gun from them. Unfortunately, his custom gun seems to have been lost in the incident before it was completed. When I asked him to check the photos, he said he'd never seen a KENDO custom before, but he was sure the wooden box and grips were KENDO's.
The grip design, he said, was done by Robert.
The wooden box that was photographed seemed to have been used with a KENDO custom gun, and the unique engraving was also definitely KENDO.
At this point, we can be sure it's a KENDO custom gun.
I checked with him about Mr. Barry and S.T.A.R.S. of course, but unfortunately he doesn't remember anything on them. He said he visited KENDO only once when he placed an order, and wasn't a regular customer of the store. The reason he placed the order was because a Beretta in the show window was exceptionally beautiful, with a Brigadier slide and two-tone frame very similar to the features of the Samurai Edge.
This is a valuable piece of information.
The next question was about S.T.A.R.S., the likely purchaser, but there are many more people who know about it than those who knew of KENDO.
That's natural, but unfortunately, most of the stories were just Internet rumors, or had been embellished.
Moreover, there wasn't a single element that could be connected to KENDO. If you think about it, the S.T.A.R.S. organization itself wasn't even known to exist prior to the incident in the Arklay Mountains, despite there being many rumors about it. After Raccoon City's destruction, there's no more information about S.T.A.R.S. to be found in any public organizations. That's an interesting story, though not one I'm inclined to get into.
And now my investigation was at a standstill.
• VERIFYING: S.T.A.R.S. & KENDO
Now that I'd come this far, I was under the illusion detective work's my main job, but if you look at the location of Gunsmith KENDO and the R.P.D., and if the letter's addressed to "Barry Burton", you can see a thread that connects them to S.T.A.R.S., and I believed that wasn't a thin line.
However, unexpectedly, no threads showed up.
The name of the gunsmith, Joe Kendo, who always appears in tales of the Samurai Edge, has an aspect of being a victim of the Raccoon Incident. His store, "Gun Shop KENDO," was also destroyed, and his only surviving custom gun is said to be an original Samurai Edge in Umbrella Co.'s collection. If I could prove the D.E.'s a custom gun of his commissioned by S.T.A.R.S., it'd be a new discovery. But that wasn't going to be easy.
After all, this is all information from a lost city, at a time of a fledgling Internet. There's no info left. So now I decided to look for residents of Raccoon City. There's a lot of info here intended to preserve the city's memory.
According to the info I obtained, the owner of Gun Shop KENDO, Joe Kendo, was listed as single, while his brother Robert Kendo along with his wife and daughter were listed as co-owners. All of their fates are unfortunately unknown, but since there are few cases of identification in the Raccoon Incident, there's a high possibility they may have been victims.
Now, the problem was Barry Burton. This name, however, doesn't appear in any Raccoon City related searches. I tried searching for Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, but I couldn't find any official information on S.T.A.R.S. personnel from around 1996. It appears only S.T.A.R.S. personnel are excluded from the search, since people who appear to be R.P.D. personnel at the time are searchable. It doesn't add up that there's no official information about Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine at the time, even though they're names that've gone down as heroes.
So I sent out a message on a gun community SNS to anyone who probably lived near Raccoon at the time, asking if they knew anything about KENDO.
Three people responded, one of them said he'd actually ordered a custom gun from them. Unfortunately, his custom gun seems to have been lost in the incident before it was completed. When I asked him to check the photos, he said he'd never seen a KENDO custom before, but he was sure the wooden box and grips were KENDO's.
The grip design, he said, was done by Robert.
The wooden box that was photographed seemed to have been used with a KENDO custom gun, and the unique engraving was also definitely KENDO.
At this point, we can be sure it's a KENDO custom gun.
I checked with him about Mr. Barry and S.T.A.R.S. of course, but unfortunately he doesn't remember anything on them. He said he visited KENDO only once when he placed an order, and wasn't a regular customer of the store. The reason he placed the order was because a Beretta in the show window was exceptionally beautiful, with a Brigadier slide and two-tone frame very similar to the features of the Samurai Edge.
This is a valuable piece of information.
The next question was about S.T.A.R.S., the likely purchaser, but there are many more people who know about it than those who knew of KENDO.
That's natural, but unfortunately, most of the stories were just Internet rumors, or had been embellished.
Moreover, there wasn't a single element that could be connected to KENDO. If you think about it, the S.T.A.R.S. organization itself wasn't even known to exist prior to the incident in the Arklay Mountains, despite there being many rumors about it. After Raccoon City's destruction, there's no more information about S.T.A.R.S. to be found in any public organizations. That's an interesting story, though not one I'm inclined to get into.
And now my investigation was at a standstill.
|
|
PAGE 13
■ 6inch Barrel + Slide Group (Stainless Steel Finish)
■ Front Sight
The Hybrid Night Sight system is equipped with a light-gathering acrylic sight on top and a light-activated sight on the bottom.
■ Rear Sight
The rear sight leads to a plain silhouette.
■ 6inch Barrel + Slide Group (Stainless Steel Finish)
■ Front Sight
The Hybrid Night Sight system is equipped with a light-gathering acrylic sight on top and a light-activated sight on the bottom.
■ Rear Sight
The rear sight leads to a plain silhouette.
PAGE 14
• INFERRING FROM THE LETTER
Let's sort out my reasoning based on the research I've done so far, it's a good name but I can't think of the next move anyway.
"There are times when nothing a man does seems to work. When that happens, all you can do is drink and sleep." I vaguely remember the words of my life mentor. When things don't go well, I try to put this into practice.
I was finally able to arrange a meeting with a client who wasn't very available at the time. This was, of course, my first encounter with the D.E. in question. I hoped seeing the real thing would give me clues to a new solution... but to be honest, I wasn't expecting too much.
It would've been a shame to meet my client empty-handed. I had to report on some of the project's history, so I needed to organize my reasoning.
I presently had only three inferences I could make with any degree of certainty.
• The client was someone named Barry.
• Barry was Mr. Barry Burton of S.T.A.R.S.
• The order was placed with KENDO, near the R.P.D., by a regular customer.
Although the last point wasn't a matter of inference, it's irrelevant here what the relationship between KENDO and Mr. Barry Burton was. R.P.D. officers using KENDO was the only point I assumed.
In retrospect, all of this was delusional and I had no solution in sight... Let's take a look at the letter I mentioned again here.
First of all, from the very beginning, the name of the person who placed the order wasn't written in Barry's full name, which gives us a sense of distance.
Then, when he says, "The D.E. ya asked for is ready," we can conclude this D.E.'s custom-made.
"It turned out a little different from what ya ordered." This means something was wrong. In other words, there was something different from what was originally ordered.
We have no way of knowing what the original order was, but since the latter half of the description says, "High precision, but not very heavy duty," it must've been ordered to be heavy duty. It's true the ribs and adjustable sights shown in the photo aren't what one could refer to as heavy duty.
In the latter part of the text, as if as an excuse, he points to Joe Kendo as the cause of the confusion in this instance. From the first sentence, "gone off the rails again," it's safe to assume this Barry fellow's either directly or indirectly familiar with Joe's antics.
In the middle part of it, he says, "it's the same old." From these points, it's safe to assume they had a close relationship, with a certain degree of mutual understanding.
To summarize, the order was for a heavy duty D.E. 10-inch custom, but at Joe Kendo's discretion, it turned out to be a high-precision and rather delicate custom. That's what they're talking about.
Although he's polite regarding this point, the fact he apologizes for it repeatedly, even though they were so close, suggests the very focus of the order was to make it more heavy duty.
With the order being to make the D.E. even more heavy duty than it already is, I could somewhat imagine this gun's purpose. Of course, this is just a theory.
• INFERRING FROM THE LETTER
Let's sort out my reasoning based on the research I've done so far, it's a good name but I can't think of the next move anyway.
"There are times when nothing a man does seems to work. When that happens, all you can do is drink and sleep." I vaguely remember the words of my life mentor. When things don't go well, I try to put this into practice.
I was finally able to arrange a meeting with a client who wasn't very available at the time. This was, of course, my first encounter with the D.E. in question. I hoped seeing the real thing would give me clues to a new solution... but to be honest, I wasn't expecting too much.
It would've been a shame to meet my client empty-handed. I had to report on some of the project's history, so I needed to organize my reasoning.
I presently had only three inferences I could make with any degree of certainty.
• The client was someone named Barry.
• Barry was Mr. Barry Burton of S.T.A.R.S.
• The order was placed with KENDO, near the R.P.D., by a regular customer.
Although the last point wasn't a matter of inference, it's irrelevant here what the relationship between KENDO and Mr. Barry Burton was. R.P.D. officers using KENDO was the only point I assumed.
In retrospect, all of this was delusional and I had no solution in sight... Let's take a look at the letter I mentioned again here.
First of all, from the very beginning, the name of the person who placed the order wasn't written in Barry's full name, which gives us a sense of distance.
Then, when he says, "The D.E. ya asked for is ready," we can conclude this D.E.'s custom-made.
"It turned out a little different from what ya ordered." This means something was wrong. In other words, there was something different from what was originally ordered.
We have no way of knowing what the original order was, but since the latter half of the description says, "High precision, but not very heavy duty," it must've been ordered to be heavy duty. It's true the ribs and adjustable sights shown in the photo aren't what one could refer to as heavy duty.
In the latter part of the text, as if as an excuse, he points to Joe Kendo as the cause of the confusion in this instance. From the first sentence, "gone off the rails again," it's safe to assume this Barry fellow's either directly or indirectly familiar with Joe's antics.
In the middle part of it, he says, "it's the same old." From these points, it's safe to assume they had a close relationship, with a certain degree of mutual understanding.
To summarize, the order was for a heavy duty D.E. 10-inch custom, but at Joe Kendo's discretion, it turned out to be a high-precision and rather delicate custom. That's what they're talking about.
Although he's polite regarding this point, the fact he apologizes for it repeatedly, even though they were so close, suggests the very focus of the order was to make it more heavy duty.
With the order being to make the D.E. even more heavy duty than it already is, I could somewhat imagine this gun's purpose. Of course, this is just a theory.
|
|
PAGE 15
■ 10inch Barrel + Slide Group (Black)
■ Front Sight
A quite tall, semi-silhouette orthodox front sight, no dot.
■ Rear Sight
An elaborate rear sight that can be adjusted vertically and horizontally.
The sighting's unique for accurate shooting.
■ .50 AE Caliber
.50 Action Express (AE 12.7X33mm)
0.50" ammunition for large caliber handguns.
■ 10inch Barrel + Slide Group (Black)
■ Front Sight
A quite tall, semi-silhouette orthodox front sight, no dot.
■ Rear Sight
An elaborate rear sight that can be adjusted vertically and horizontally.
The sighting's unique for accurate shooting.
■ .50 AE Caliber
.50 Action Express (AE 12.7X33mm)
0.50" ammunition for large caliber handguns.
PAGE 16
There's one more thing that was different from the order. It was a "medallion." What kind of medallion actually was it?
If we follow the text, we can grasp it wasn't put on the model in the photo in time. But what does "medallion" refer to? Isn't a medallion usually a metal, circular symbol? It'd otherwise be described as an emblem or logo. Then I realized something. The S.T.A.R.S. medallion is also embedded in the grip of the Samurai Edge, another KENDO custom. If that letter was addressed to Mr. Barry Burton, it wouldn't be surprising if he embedded the S.T.A.R.S. medallion like the Samurai Edge. Isn't that what that sentence is suggesting?
That's the extent of the inferences I can construct so far. I just need to see the real thing to get an idea...
• FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE GENUINE GUN
Let's focus solely on the gun itself. I'd like to comply with the client's request that I not write anything unrelated to their commission. Looking at the exterior and surface treatment, this KENDO D.E. has undergone a great deal of elaborate customization.
The most notable feature's the one-off barrel, approximately ten inches long with ventilated ribs and a magnaport. The side of the barrel's stamped with Lightning Hawk, which is without a doubt the name given to this gun.
The top of the chamber's stamped with the Prototype designation in a printed finish.
I checked all the other markings but couldn't find anything that would identify the manufacturer or date.
The walnut/rubber combo grip's similar to the one used on the Samurai Edge, so there are some similarities in terms of KENDO Custom's attention to detail. When I held up the gun, I could intuitively feel this custom was made with the intention of putting the D.E. into live combat. That's what I figured.
Despite its appearance, it was well-balanced and not unwieldly. The shape of the safety and grip, tapered to the very limit, is designed to allow for a functional draw and safety-off, much smoother than the original D.E.
I had my doubts about the adjustable rear sight, but when I actually sighted it in, the visual was good and clearance wasn't too tight, so this would be fine for close combat.
When you consider the circumstances in which you could use this monster in combat... it'd definitely be overkill against a person. For medium-to-long range combat, you'd naturally use a rifle, while for melee combat the .50AE's stomping power from this long barrel is absolutely excessive. As a side-note, we all know the trend of emphasizing stopping power in close combat is accelerating in modern times.
This has led to the birth of many shortened M4 derivatives. In the face of frequent terrorist attacks, pistol ammo isn't enough.
The current trend is to focus on power, like 12-gauge shotguns, and the extremely hot-loaded ammunition I mentioned in my previous article.
With this in mind, it's quite natural that the .50AE, the most powerful handgun round at the time, was chosen.
After all, even with a barrel length of six inches, the .50AE's kinetic energy is comparable to that of the 7.62x39. In other words, it's a handgun comparable to an AK.
I felt my theory become more real when I touched the actual gun. As I imagined the uses for this gun, even though they were hypothetical, I couldn't help but think I couldn't escape my current hypothesis. My reasoning can be summarized as follows.
There's one more thing that was different from the order. It was a "medallion." What kind of medallion actually was it?
If we follow the text, we can grasp it wasn't put on the model in the photo in time. But what does "medallion" refer to? Isn't a medallion usually a metal, circular symbol? It'd otherwise be described as an emblem or logo. Then I realized something. The S.T.A.R.S. medallion is also embedded in the grip of the Samurai Edge, another KENDO custom. If that letter was addressed to Mr. Barry Burton, it wouldn't be surprising if he embedded the S.T.A.R.S. medallion like the Samurai Edge. Isn't that what that sentence is suggesting?
That's the extent of the inferences I can construct so far. I just need to see the real thing to get an idea...
• FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE GENUINE GUN
Let's focus solely on the gun itself. I'd like to comply with the client's request that I not write anything unrelated to their commission. Looking at the exterior and surface treatment, this KENDO D.E. has undergone a great deal of elaborate customization.
The most notable feature's the one-off barrel, approximately ten inches long with ventilated ribs and a magnaport. The side of the barrel's stamped with Lightning Hawk, which is without a doubt the name given to this gun.
The top of the chamber's stamped with the Prototype designation in a printed finish.
I checked all the other markings but couldn't find anything that would identify the manufacturer or date.
The walnut/rubber combo grip's similar to the one used on the Samurai Edge, so there are some similarities in terms of KENDO Custom's attention to detail. When I held up the gun, I could intuitively feel this custom was made with the intention of putting the D.E. into live combat. That's what I figured.
Despite its appearance, it was well-balanced and not unwieldly. The shape of the safety and grip, tapered to the very limit, is designed to allow for a functional draw and safety-off, much smoother than the original D.E.
I had my doubts about the adjustable rear sight, but when I actually sighted it in, the visual was good and clearance wasn't too tight, so this would be fine for close combat.
When you consider the circumstances in which you could use this monster in combat... it'd definitely be overkill against a person. For medium-to-long range combat, you'd naturally use a rifle, while for melee combat the .50AE's stomping power from this long barrel is absolutely excessive. As a side-note, we all know the trend of emphasizing stopping power in close combat is accelerating in modern times.
This has led to the birth of many shortened M4 derivatives. In the face of frequent terrorist attacks, pistol ammo isn't enough.
The current trend is to focus on power, like 12-gauge shotguns, and the extremely hot-loaded ammunition I mentioned in my previous article.
With this in mind, it's quite natural that the .50AE, the most powerful handgun round at the time, was chosen.
After all, even with a barrel length of six inches, the .50AE's kinetic energy is comparable to that of the 7.62x39. In other words, it's a handgun comparable to an AK.
I felt my theory become more real when I touched the actual gun. As I imagined the uses for this gun, even though they were hypothetical, I couldn't help but think I couldn't escape my current hypothesis. My reasoning can be summarized as follows.
PAGE 17
"This firearm's a custom gun ordered by Mr. Barry Burton from Gunsmith KENDO for use in anti-Zombie (B.O.W.) combat."
If I could prove this, then it would mean S.T.A.R.S. had a plan to use a handgun different from (or designed to be used in conjunction with) the Samurai Edge.
After explaining the above reasoning to my client, I explained to him further investigation would be difficult.
Without any concrete clues, I summarized the above reporting and sent it to my client as a report. The client replied with words of gratitude and the following information.
"~now that he knows the gun's origin, my friend has decided not to keep it in his possession. This gun's undoubtedly a fragment of that city's memory, and since he himself had no part in it, he has decided he has no right to take ownership of it.
I'm sorry to repeat this, but could you please pass along this gun to someone who's worthy of preserving it? I'm convinced you're a person of integrity and honesty in these matters. I think it'd be best for you to keep it until you can find someone suitable."
Whether I was qualified or not, there was only one person who came to mind when it came to choosing someone worthy of wielding this gun.
That's right, S.T.A.R.S. officer Mr. Barry Burton, a good friend of KENDO and the rightful purchaser. However, he's a person the government has pressured into erasing even his past. There was no way I could locate him.
I made up my mind and decided to use the results I'd compiled so far to play my final hand.
The Umbrella Co. chief of weapons development, who I'd interviewed in the previous issues. I didn't even catch his name, but I do have contact info for the PR rep (I'm not foolish enough to toss away a pretty lady's e-mail). I wasn't able to find out how he procured an original Samurai Edge model, but there's a good chance he's in contact with S.T.A.R.S. members in some capacity.
Hoping for a ray of hope, I contacted the PR rep to inform them of everything that transpired thus far, and to make an appointment with him.
I asked brusquely, "Please find this gun's owner." No way a giant corporation would be swayed by such a request.
They'd have to be interested in the story before I could proceed. I have a theory the situation with the Samurai Edge was similar.
I also attached a report on Mr. Barry Burton's apparent involvement in this gun's development, which I figure was a reasonable approach to take against B.O.W.'s. I received a response the following week, telling me the chief developer asked for me directly.
This proved the gun was worthy of Umbrella Co.'s interest.
"This firearm's a custom gun ordered by Mr. Barry Burton from Gunsmith KENDO for use in anti-Zombie (B.O.W.) combat."
If I could prove this, then it would mean S.T.A.R.S. had a plan to use a handgun different from (or designed to be used in conjunction with) the Samurai Edge.
After explaining the above reasoning to my client, I explained to him further investigation would be difficult.
Without any concrete clues, I summarized the above reporting and sent it to my client as a report. The client replied with words of gratitude and the following information.
"~now that he knows the gun's origin, my friend has decided not to keep it in his possession. This gun's undoubtedly a fragment of that city's memory, and since he himself had no part in it, he has decided he has no right to take ownership of it.
I'm sorry to repeat this, but could you please pass along this gun to someone who's worthy of preserving it? I'm convinced you're a person of integrity and honesty in these matters. I think it'd be best for you to keep it until you can find someone suitable."
Whether I was qualified or not, there was only one person who came to mind when it came to choosing someone worthy of wielding this gun.
That's right, S.T.A.R.S. officer Mr. Barry Burton, a good friend of KENDO and the rightful purchaser. However, he's a person the government has pressured into erasing even his past. There was no way I could locate him.
I made up my mind and decided to use the results I'd compiled so far to play my final hand.
The Umbrella Co. chief of weapons development, who I'd interviewed in the previous issues. I didn't even catch his name, but I do have contact info for the PR rep (I'm not foolish enough to toss away a pretty lady's e-mail). I wasn't able to find out how he procured an original Samurai Edge model, but there's a good chance he's in contact with S.T.A.R.S. members in some capacity.
Hoping for a ray of hope, I contacted the PR rep to inform them of everything that transpired thus far, and to make an appointment with him.
I asked brusquely, "Please find this gun's owner." No way a giant corporation would be swayed by such a request.
They'd have to be interested in the story before I could proceed. I have a theory the situation with the Samurai Edge was similar.
I also attached a report on Mr. Barry Burton's apparent involvement in this gun's development, which I figure was a reasonable approach to take against B.O.W.'s. I received a response the following week, telling me the chief developer asked for me directly.
This proved the gun was worthy of Umbrella Co.'s interest.
PAGE 18
Afterwards, he showed up at the designated range on the appointed day, stroking his gray beard like before, with the same gentle smile from when I interviewed him.
He had the same tough handshake with his log-like hands.
As soon as I took out the D.E. in question... he gently stroked the crate with nostalgia and uttered a few words of wonder.
The ending always surpasses one's imagination. None of my deductions could've envisioned leading up to this conclusion.
I'm not going to write about the ensuing events. Not writing about him isn't difficult as he didn't talk about the details of his work.
But his life was filled with feelings for people I cannot convey in words. Out of respect for his love for his family and friends, I would like to end my article here. I'm a gun writer, no paparazzi or showbiz journo.
A gun is a weapon. But a gun in your hand reflects your life, and a gun can easily alter its user's life.
I'm convinced, this job's one I'm proud to have undertaken in my lifetime.
The smile on his face as he held the Lightning Hawk in front of me meant something more meaningful to me than words could convey.
Readers may be curious about the outcome, but I've finally written about the process of how I identified this gun's origin. And you can imagine what the results of my investigation yielded in the report at the end of this article.
I've also written a detailed report on the Lightning Hawk in a separate article, so I hope you'll read that as well.
Now it's time for me to take a vacation for a while.
INVESTIGATION REPORT
"I've concluded that the gun I was asked to investigate is a prototype of a KENDO-made custom gun, the "Lightning Hawk", which was meant to be delivered to Mr. Barry Burton in 1998.
Mr. Barry Burton put in a request with Mr. Joe Kendo to make this gun based on his knowledge, having experienced the world's first combat engagement with B.O.W.'s, and it was developed to test the possibility of formally adopting it within S.T.A.R.S.
These findings have been proven in interviews with Mr. Barry Burton himself.
In addition, the gun concerned will be safely returned 21 years later to the original recipient, Mr. Barry Burton, at the client's request.
I'll see this request through based on the above findings."
SURVIVE MAGAZINE Editor Johnny Takeyama
Afterwards, he showed up at the designated range on the appointed day, stroking his gray beard like before, with the same gentle smile from when I interviewed him.
He had the same tough handshake with his log-like hands.
As soon as I took out the D.E. in question... he gently stroked the crate with nostalgia and uttered a few words of wonder.
The ending always surpasses one's imagination. None of my deductions could've envisioned leading up to this conclusion.
I'm not going to write about the ensuing events. Not writing about him isn't difficult as he didn't talk about the details of his work.
But his life was filled with feelings for people I cannot convey in words. Out of respect for his love for his family and friends, I would like to end my article here. I'm a gun writer, no paparazzi or showbiz journo.
A gun is a weapon. But a gun in your hand reflects your life, and a gun can easily alter its user's life.
I'm convinced, this job's one I'm proud to have undertaken in my lifetime.
The smile on his face as he held the Lightning Hawk in front of me meant something more meaningful to me than words could convey.
Readers may be curious about the outcome, but I've finally written about the process of how I identified this gun's origin. And you can imagine what the results of my investigation yielded in the report at the end of this article.
I've also written a detailed report on the Lightning Hawk in a separate article, so I hope you'll read that as well.
Now it's time for me to take a vacation for a while.
INVESTIGATION REPORT
"I've concluded that the gun I was asked to investigate is a prototype of a KENDO-made custom gun, the "Lightning Hawk", which was meant to be delivered to Mr. Barry Burton in 1998.
Mr. Barry Burton put in a request with Mr. Joe Kendo to make this gun based on his knowledge, having experienced the world's first combat engagement with B.O.W.'s, and it was developed to test the possibility of formally adopting it within S.T.A.R.S.
These findings have been proven in interviews with Mr. Barry Burton himself.
In addition, the gun concerned will be safely returned 21 years later to the original recipient, Mr. Barry Burton, at the client's request.
I'll see this request through based on the above findings."
SURVIVE MAGAZINE Editor Johnny Takeyama