Apocalypse: After Being Reborn, I Stocked Up on All Supplies
Chapter 454 - 450: Mercenary Legion?

Chapter 454: Chapter 450: Mercenary Legion?

Jiang Yan turned her head to glance in the direction of the ship’s conference room, where many people were now walking briskly toward it.

"Jiang Yan." Ye Qing, whose forehead was dotted with sweat, emerged from the corner and happened to see her. "Let’s head over together."

Jiang Yan nodded. "Alright."

When the two arrived at the conference room, it was already filled with people.

Sun Jingtao, Kong Wu, and Zhao Yougong had also come over from other ships.

Mo Jingsheng cast a cold gaze around the room and, after confirming that all the core personnel were present, he said, "Let’s begin."

"Understood." Song Haitao stood up, and at the same time, a projection screen flickered to life, displaying a blueprint.

It was a cross-sectional diagram of a warehouse.

The outline of the section was covered in blue markings, accompanied by labels indicating depth, pressure, and other data points.

Jiang Yan recognized it as the underground warehouse in Rong City used to store aircraft carriers and other supplies.

The blue markings represented the seawater currently covering the area.

Everyone looked puzzled, holding their breath as they waited for Song Haitao to speak.

"Based on our current cruising speed, we estimate we’ll arrive at Rong City’s Warehouse No. 1 in one hour. However, we’ve encountered several unexpected issues, which I will articulate briefly.

I’ll address all the points upfront now, so if anyone has questions, please hold them until I finish speaking," Song Haitao said with a light cough before continuing.

"First, the water quality monitoring results for this area are out: the level of nuclear pollution here is several times worse than in previous regions we’ve traversed. The acidification level is also far higher than in other areas.

Second, due to Rong City’s proximity to the sea, there’s a significant presence of mutated marine fish in this area, including aggressive species such as sharks.

Third, traces of eight-legged flying bugs have been detected nearby."

As Song Haitao briefly paused, the room collectively drew in a sharp breath.

The eight-legged flying bug was the research team’s makeshift name for a type of aggressive insect capable of flight that emitted a piercing "chitter-chitter" sound.

"We can now preliminarily infer that the continuous intensification of ultraviolet radiation is due to a reduction in the ozone layer as well as the thinning of the atmosphere," he added.

"Thus, it’s highly likely that with each passing day, the level of nuclear pollution and acidification will also grow more severe."

The crowd was stunned into silence once more.

"In addition to the aforementioned issues, we’re confronted with several new challenges as well," Song Haitao continued after taking a sip of water.

"First, the current sea level is higher than we previously estimated. This means the pressure we’ll face when accessing the submerged warehouse will be greater.

The operational duration of the drainage chamber will be reduced, so I must urge the construction team to accelerate their pace while working."

The Rong City warehouse is located underwater, and once the group opens the entrance to the warehouse, the massive influx of seawater will rush directly inside.

To counter this, a specialized team will use marine construction techniques to attach a custom-made cover—a drainage chamber—to the entrance of the warehouse.

After Jiang Yan and the others arrive in their submarine and enter the drainage chamber, the team will pump the water out of the chamber using special equipment.

Jiang Yan and her group will then enter the warehouse, complete their task, return to the submarine, and finally let the water back into the chamber.

Currently, the depth of the seawater far exceeds the calculated threshold, raising questions about how long the drainage chamber can withstand the increased pressure.

Moreover, given the discovery of the eight-legged flying bugs, nighttime operations are evidently far more dangerous than daytime ones.

Nevertheless, according to the plan, there was no way the group could simply remain idle overnight, waiting until daytime for their operations to resume.

"Second issue: before the apocalypse, this area contained a considerable number of mooring buoys. However, the number of visible buoys now is alarmingly sparse. We dispatched personnel to investigate underwater. Turns out—these buoys were recently destroyed."

As this statement left Song Haitao’s lips, the previously silent conference room erupted in murmurs.

Jiang Yan furrowed her eyebrows, and Ye Qing said softly from beside her, "Someone beat us here."

Mo Jingsheng glanced at the crowd, his gaze sharp and cold like a blade glinting in the light.

The murmurs ceased instantly as everyone’s pupils contracted in fear.

"This means that, in addition to battling the increasingly harsh environment, we may also face enemies lurking in the shadows.

The adversaries could be hiding somewhere at sea or may have already infiltrated the underwater warehouse. Hence—" Song Haitao halted his words momentarily, turning his gaze toward Mo Jingsheng.

Seeing Mo Jingsheng nod in affirmation, he continued,

"To avoid attracting unnecessary attention from adversaries or mutated creatures with artificial lighting, we’ve decided to commence underwater operations immediately upon arrival. The personnel participating in warehouse activities will include an additional team of ten guards."

"The diving suits everyone will be wearing are specially designed, providing insulation, acid resistance, and defensive functionality. However, you must remain vigilant during operations to ensure that neither your suits nor other equipment are damaged, allowing water to seep inside."

"Additionally, with the increased underwater pressure, reverse calculations suggest the drainage chamber’s operational window might not exceed one hour. Therefore—" Song Haitao looked over at Jiang Yan, "the time spent entering the warehouse and dock area must be capped at fifty minutes."

Jiang Yan replied, "I understand."

She was fast at collecting items, often taking mere seconds.

However, she couldn’t confirm the layout of the underground warehouse.

Nor could she predict whether access to the core area would be smooth.

To her surprise, this state-level zero-cost procurement mission was vastly more complex than any of her prior solo missions.

And this was just the first stop...

After Song Haitao finished speaking, the room was filled with lively discussion.

Most of the conversations revolved around specialized terminology, which Jiang Yan only partially understood.

Mo Jingsheng stood up and glanced at Jiang Yan, "Let’s go. We need to confirm the remaining details."

Jiang Yan nodded. "Alright."

Li Haoyang and Ye Qing followed along.

Once inside a small adjoining conference room with the door securely shut, Mo Jingsheng finally said:

"For this treasure hunt, in addition to our warriors, the higher-ups will dispatch several independent squads to various locations ahead of us to clear obstacles."

Jiang Yan was momentarily surprised. She had thought Yaoben Base was handling everything on its own. "Do they know our treasure hunt routes?"

"Yes." Mo Jingsheng replied, his expression darkening further. "According to the original plan, after clearing obstacles, their teams were supposed to remain at their locations to assist us upon arrival or to set noticeable markers in place."

Sun Jingtao frowned. "So, Captain, you suspect that something has gone awry with their operations?"

Mo Jingsheng nodded. "Exactly."

He continued, "Once we’re underwater, everyone must exercise utmost caution. Since they’re unable to move heavy equipment like aircraft carriers out of these locations, it’s not unlikely that they decided to stay put, waiting for an opportune moment."

Jiang Yan and the others nodded in agreement.

Kong Wu scratched his head. "Do you think other people might possess storage artifacts like Sister Yan does?"

"Impossible," Mo Jingsheng answered definitively.

The logistics team arrived with some hot chocolate.

Several members drank, knowing they needed sustenance for the imminent underwater operations, but couldn’t eat a full meal due to the unpredictability of the situation ahead.

Hot chocolate’s high energy content made it a far superior choice compared to eating a regular meal.

After finishing her drink, Jiang Yan felt slightly lightheaded.

Half an hour had already passed, and as they approached the target area, all the ships had shifted into emergency readiness mode.

A sudden voice blared over the radio, "Report, report! Human and mutant corpses discovered! Estimated time of death: three days prior!"

Mo Jingsheng shot to his feet. "Let’s take a look."

The group had originally planned to prepare for underwater operations by heading to the deck.

Once on the deck, some specialized teams responsible for hoisting and installing the drainage chamber were already busy working.

The temperature remained low.

But due to the bulky protective clothing everyone was wearing, their foreheads were covered in beads of sweat.

A short distance away from the worksite, a few recently salvaged corpses were laid out.

Calling them "corpses" was somewhat misleading, as they resembled heaps of white bones wrapped in assorted debris.

Clothing and flesh had already been consumed by the water’s floating organisms.

Additionally, the bones exposed to ultraviolet rays for several days were coated in a soot-like layer.

The surface was dark and speckled with honeycomb-like perforations.

As the group approached, Zhang Yongliang and a few senior professors were already there.

"These are mutated humans, and these are regular humans."

Without time for sampling and precise testing via specialized instruments, their identification relied exclusively on distinguishing limb proportions.

However, Jiang Yan noticed that the ordinary human corpse was at least 1.9 meters tall.

Judging by the skeleton’s build, it looked like the person may have been foreign.

Mo Jingsheng squatted to quietly observe for a few seconds before standing, receiving a thin rod from Zhang Yongliang, and using it to poke at an ordinary skeleton.

A black metal tag emerged from the neck area.

Li Haoyang froze, exclaiming in shock, "Captain, isn’t this from that mercenary group?"

Mo Jingsheng’s thin lips pressed tightly together, his facial expression more grave than ever.

After a long pause, he said:

"Suspend the Rong City underwater treasure hunt plan. Jiang Yan and Dr. Song will remain aboard the ship temporarily. Ye Qing and Song Qian, you will be responsible for ensuring their safety."

Jiang Yan was surprised. "What about you, Captain—"

Mo Jingsheng didn’t answer her but instead barked orders at Li Haoyang, his tone cold:

"Organize the strike team to change into diving suits. In three minutes, we dive to conduct reconnaissance and a secondary clearance!"