Chapter 33: Why Not Just Rob Them?
Page 1 of 3
At the same time, just as Chen Jian made his decision to regard the entire city of Hanshui as a hypothetical enemy with potentially hostile intentions, Xu Lie returned to his quarters.
Contrary to what he had claimed, the room was occupied not only by the four members of his team, but also by a man whose entire body was concealed beneath a cloak and hood, leaving his features impossible to make out.
The moment Xu Lie entered, the man standing on the left immediately asked,
“How did it go? What was their attitude?”
Xu Lie shook his head.
“I couldn’t tell.”
“But they clearly rejected my suggestion that they reveal themselves proactively.”
“I think they intend to remain hidden. They don’t seem eager to join any faction—not even the Machine God Cult, despite having more in common with them. In their eyes, the cultists aren’t even their kind.”
“These four Chosen Ones are truly unusual. Or perhaps they really do have a mission of their own.”
“Still, this is good news for us.”
“As long as they don’t side with the Machine God Cult, they won’t pose a threat.”
“You’re mistaken.”
The man sighed softly before continuing,
“If they really are Chosen Ones who possess ancient knowledge—or if they are simply the ghosts said to have crawled out of their graves—then their very existence is already a grave threat.”
“Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are only four of them and that their abilities are still limited.”
“The power contained in that knowledge, that information, is limitless.”
“Someday, they will develop faster than we do, and their strength will surpass ours.”
“When that day comes, how are people like us supposed to survive?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
Xu Lie frowned in confusion.
“At least from what I can see, the goals of these Chosen Ones are very simple.”
“They want to survive, and they want to save this world.”
“How is that different from us? Wasn’t the Holy Blood Hall founded for precisely those two purposes?”
“Our conflict with the Machine God Cult is so intense, yet we can still coexist. Why should it be impossible with them?”
“Because even our coexistence with the Machine God Cult is only temporary.”
The man slowed his speech, pronouncing each word distinctly.
“This world will one day be saved. Heretics and monsters will one day be purged.”
“When that day comes, who will be the monsters?”
“We don’t have to become monsters!”
Xie Liu suddenly cut into the conversation.
“The priests are working constantly. The side effects of the Holy Blood will certainly continue to diminish.”
“Until one day, the Holy Blood is no longer a curse, but a blessing.”
“We will bear healthy descendants, and those descendants will be born with greater strength, stronger bodies, quicker reflexes, and even superior intelligence.”
“How could people like that be called monsters? They will be... ‘New Humans’!”
The man gave a cold laugh, then spoke sternly:
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
“Those who survive evolution will always be a minority. Not everyone can become a Holy Blood bearer. The vast majority of people will forever remain Old Humans!”
“And what of those Old Humans? What will happen to them?”
“The Old Humans... they will be淘汰ed...”
Xie Liu’s voice grew quieter.
“Eliminated? Will we be the ones to eliminate them, or will they eliminate us?”
After those words were spoken, no one in the room said anything more.
Amid the silence, everyone seemed to glimpse the war that was destined to come, even though it still lay far beyond the horizon.
The man let out a long sigh.
“It’s too early to talk about such things.”
“Our threats are still monsters, heretics, and malevolent entities.”
“But remember this: our relationship with those Chosen Ones is one of mutual exploitation.”
“We may be allies for the time being.”
“But we will never be friends!”
...
The next day.
Chen Jian had completed his final watch and had packed up early. He put on his tactical vest and inserted his own Level Three ballistic plate.
He had not used the captured Level Five plate—not because it had expired. In fact, even in his era, composite boron-carbide materials had already achieved an exceptionally high degree of chemical inertness. Combined with the widespread use of Dyneema, the service life of armor plates and bulletproof vests had long since been greatly extended.
The real reason was simply that the thing was too bulky. If he inserted it, there would be no room to wear any concealing clothing over it.
If they walked outside with their bodies all puffed up, even an idiot would realize that the four of them were unusual.
So it was better to keep a low profile.
In any case, dangerous situations were unlikely to arise within the city. Even if one did, a Level Three plate could still protect against most attacks.
Once everything was ready, Chen Jian left Shen Yue and He Shuo behind to guard the place, then went out with Lei Jie to purchase supplies.
Under Xu Lie’s guidance, they had originally planned to exchange their gold for other goods first, but after making a circuit of the market, they realized it was unnecessary.
The reason was simple.
Everything they wanted to buy was expensive.
Ordinary-condition 7.62-millimeter rounds cost two or three rounds per gram of gold. High-quality rounds cost eight-tenths of a gram each.
No one could buy only a few rounds at a time. No matter how discreet they wished to be, there was no reason to make trading more difficult than necessary.
After buying several dozen to a hundred rounds from each shop, they had consumed more than four hundred grams of gold in less than an hour. In total, they obtained six hundred 7.62x39-millimeter rounds.
That was barely enough for Shen Yue to fire one full burst.
Next, they turned back and continued searching for 5.8-millimeter ammunition.
According to Chen Jian’s own assumptions, they were still in the country, so 5.8-millimeter rounds should have been the most common type. Even 12.7-millimeter ammunition should not have been particularly rare.
The reality, however, was that 7.62-millimeter rounds were merely fairly common, while 5.8-millimeter rounds were exceedingly rare. They did not find a single 12.7-millimeter round.
After searching the entire market, they managed to buy only one hundred and twenty 5.8-millimeter rounds. According to Xu Lie, if they wanted to keep looking, they would have to venture deep into the streets and alleys, purchasing from hunters who did not operate openly or from priests of the Machine God Cult.
Chen Jian did not want to take that risk, so he decided to put the search on hold for the time being.
He focused most of his attention on explosives such as shells, missiles, and grenades. Unfortunately, the people here seemed to share his thinking.
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
They were all fighting carbon-based life-forms. Who didn’t know that bombs were more useful than bullets?
The high-quality explosives were either kept for personal use or offered as tribute to the Machine God Cult and the City Defense Bureau. As for the remaining inferior stock, whether it would even detonate was questionable.
After making another circuit of the market, Chen Jian even came across several more sleeve arrows, but ultimately decided not to buy them.
To Lei Jie, however, the entire market was filled with treasures.
Usable circuit boards, electric welding pens that the locals mistook for weapons, batteries that looked broken but whose cells had suffered almost no corrosion, silver wire sold by the roll as scrap metal, and clearly functional servo motors apparently salvaged from somewhere...
He reveled in the joy of scavenging. When Chen Jian asked what he intended to do with all those things, he gave only one answer:
“Repair the exoskeleton.”
“Yesterday, I took some time to sort through that exoskeleton. Almost none of the components are missing. The only real problem is the electronic control system.”
“If I gather enough replacement parts and tinker with it a little, I might be able to repair it soon.”
“But there’s one problem. There isn’t a single battery in this entire market that can be fitted to that machine.”
“If I use a homemade battery, its endurance definitely won’t be enough.”
“I’m at a bit of a loss now. What could possibly fit inside such a small battery compartment? It couldn’t be a radioisotope battery, could it?”
Lei Jie looked utterly perplexed, while Chen Jian shook his head.
“Impossible. A radioisotope battery has sufficient energy density, but its power density definitely isn’t high enough...”
“Then could it be some kind of miniature reactor?”
“You might as well suggest a room-temperature superconducting battery or something along those lines. A metallic-hydrogen battery, perhaps...”
The two of them discussed the matter as they walked. Xu Lie, following beside them, could not understand a single word they were saying.
He even began to feel as though he were peering into forbidden knowledge.
Listening for one second longer might drive him insane.
No wonder they made no effort to hide their conversation from him. They knew perfectly well that he could never understand it.
Not only could he not comprehend it, he could not even memorize it and repeat it after returning home.
It was not until they were about to leave the market district that Lei Jie finally fell silent.
Then he fixed his eyes on an object lying at a tiny stall in the corner and spoke:
“I know what it is.”
“An air-lithium battery.”
“This is the final piece of the puzzle.”
“Unfortunately, this one definitely can’t be used...”
Seeing the disappointment on Lei Jie’s face, Chen Jian waved a hand.
“If it can’t be used, then so be it. The exoskeleton isn’t an urgent matter.”
“The urgent matter is that we have no shells, and there aren’t any on the market either.”
“But now we have ammunition, so I have a new idea.”
“Those Dread Fiends were able to produce so many artillery shells. Doesn’t that mean they must have more?”
“If we can’t buy them... why don’t we just take them?”
Page 3 of 3