Chapter 24: Exoskeleton

"Type 95-1, the barrel is still intact, but the receiver is basically scrap."

"This is a stock for a 191, but the body is nowhere to be found."

"An 81-style magazine—well, just the magazine left."

"A ceramic plate from a bulletproof vest, Jihua brand, Level 5. Now, this is good stuff. It’s perfect since we’re currently carrying Level 3 plates; we can take this along."

"An engineer shovel... a Q3? How on earth did this thing survive so long?"

As Chen Jian rummaged through the "treasure trove," he turned to Xu Lie, looking slightly puzzled. "Where on earth did these people dig up so much stuff? This entire basement is packed; just clearing it out would take quite a while."

Xu Lie stood to the side, staring blankly as Chen Jian reeled off the names of the damaged weapons and gear scattered on the floor, forgetting to answer for a moment. He didn’t understand where Chen Jian acquired such knowledge, but he was absolutely clear about what this "knowing the goods like the back of his hand" attitude implied.

During the interrogation of the innkeeper earlier, Xu Lie had heard a phrase: "Ghosts from before the Great Cataclysm."

So, perhaps these "God-Chosen" possessed knowledge from the era before the Great Cataclysm? If that were true, many questions could be answered. But conversely, if their minds truly contained an impossibly rich treasure trove of "Divinely Bestowed Truths," it meant they would bring about endless conflict in the future.

They must be won over. Or, if not won over, they must at least be prevented from falling to the Church of the Mechanical God!

While Xu Lie was still debating whether he should act more humble or consciously demonstrate the power of the Hall of Holy Blood, Chen Jian’s voice pulled him from his tangled thoughts.

"What are you thinking about? I’m asking you!"

"Ah? Oh... the ruins!" Xu Lie hurried to answer. "These miners belong to the lowest tier of the Church of the Mechanical God. Their job is to excavate ruins from before the Great Cataclysm across the entire continent to supply weapons and technology to the Temple of the Machine God. However, we don't know exactly where they go to dig or how they do it—after all, we aren't keen on that sort of thing. The philosophy of the Hall of Holy Blood differs from the Church of the Mechanical God; they cling to the past, while we are trying to forge a new path. This is the root cause of the conflict between our sides, but regardless, we are more..."

"Who asked you?" Chen Jian interrupted Xu Lie with a smirk. He clearly detected the intent to elevate his own side while belittling the Church of the Mechanical God, but he didn't really mind. Conflict existed wherever people were, especially since both sides had already drawn their battle lines. Xu Lie’s motives were understandable—he was simply trying to pull him into their camp. However, he couldn't make such a decision this early.

He waved his hand. "Let’s leave that useless talk aside. What I want to ask is, do you know exactly where the things here came from? If we can find the source, we might be able to continue excavating just like them. Even if you don't use them, they are good trading resources."

"Indeed." Xu Lie nodded. "Under the right circumstances, we do that sort of thing too. But the problem is, grave robbing is a highly skilled job; ordinary people aren't up to the task. As you can see, the vast majority of the residents in Xama Town are mutated half-breeds, they..."

"Can you just get to the point?" Chen Jian was nearly driven to silence by Xu Lie's rambling. He cut him off again and asked, "I have one question: where does the equipment in Xama Town come from? A cave? An underground tunnel? Where?"

"Most likely in the lake." Xu Lie finally gave Chen Jian the answer he wanted, though it wasn't particularly satisfying.

"In the lake? Why?"

"The monster is in the lake, so the resources are in the lake. It's a simple deduction. Besides, didn't you mention that the bottom of the lake is filled with... carbon dioxide... well, in any case, deathly energy? That should be the location of the monster's nest."

Before Chen Jian could speak again, Xu Lie quickly explained, "That's right. We know there is a monster in the lake, but it never comes ashore, so the threat is low. That's why no one has taken it as a hunting target. We also didn't know the connection between this monster and the residents of Xama Town, but now it seems they have formed some kind of symbiotic relationship..."

"Like the converts and the mother body?"

"Yes, just like the converts in Chuansha and that Level 4 monster."

"I see..." Chen Jian nodded. From Xu Lie's words, he could tell the man wasn't lying; his intelligence regarding the town remained at the surface level. In fact, this was the most logical situation. Without sufficient long-range communication or transport, without a unified central government, and without enough grassroots control, the center would naturally be ignorant of the situation in the provinces. Otherwise, why would those giant feudal dynasties have to tear their own foundations apart just to suppress a rebellion? It was precisely because, by the time they realized a rebellion was happening, the rebel army would already have hundreds of thousands of banners.

Currently, the power of the Hall of Holy Blood was clearly several tiers below those feudal dynasties. Simply knowing that Xama Town existed was already the limit of their capabilities. Thinking this, Chen Jian stopped asking questions and joined the other team members, focusing on rummaging through the neatly categorized trash.

"Don't just focus on complete firearms. Collect any usable parts, too; we might be able to piece them together later..."

"Captain, there's ammo here!" Lei Jie’s voice came from the corner, filled with excitement. Chen Jian rushed over in two strides to see a full crate of ammunition. The wooden crate already showed clear water damage, and upon prying open the lid, two rusty iron ammunition boxes were revealed.

UBP95-5.8 Steel.

Standard 5.8mm ammunition boxes! Chen Jian impatiently opened the box, but as soon as he touched it, he noticed something wrong. This box had already been opened. Indeed, after opening it, both ammo boxes were less than half full, and the vast majority of the rounds were rusted and damaged.

"It seems the people of Xama Town intercepted the ammunition and sold off most of the good stuff," Xu Lie chimed in from the side.

"Take what you can get... Lei Jie, pack it up."

"Shen Yue, did you find any ammo over there?"

"No." Shen Yue’s tone held a hint of hesitation. "I didn't find any ammo, but I found something else..."

"What is it?" Chen Jian looked up toward Shen Yue. The latter was holding a piece of deep black metal, his eyes full of confusion.

"What is this thing?"

Chen Jian stepped forward and took the item from Shen Yue’s hand. He lowered his head to examine it closely. A hollowed-out frame, movable joints, a miniature hydraulic device at the top, and a servo motor on the side...

Chen Jian took a deep breath. He knew what this was. Although it was in pieces... there was no doubt about it; this was an individual combat exoskeleton! An active exoskeleton!