Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 117 - 29: Rapid Response

Chapter 117: Chapter 29: Rapid Response

"This is the sculpture we saw in Jinling City."

"Now I know, this is a mecha."

In the open space, Zeng Yi looked at the armor plates laid on the ground and continued to ask:

"Is this the same... exoskeleton you guys are using now?"

"Or is this some kind of armored vehicle you mentioned before?"

"Neither."

Chen Jian shook his head and replied:

"A mecha is a mecha, but unfortunately, this isn’t a complete mecha."

"This is just an armor plate from some humanoid mecha, all the key systems inside have been gutted."

"However, just these armor plates and connectors themselves are quite valuable... all titanium alloy plates wrapped with composite materials, chest armor nearly 20 centimeters thick, with the protection of these plates, at least they can withstand 12.7 mm caliber bullets, and might be even stronger."

"This thing is perfect for Li Shi — I guess the people from Huadu transported it over to use on that monster."

"This implies the monster might be smaller in size than we expected."

"Li Shi is about 2.4 meters tall, so by this estimation, the monster should be at most 3 meters tall."

"That makes sense, that thing should be some kind of mutant from the Blood Skull, just like that Blood Sun General."

"Makes sense."

Zeng Yi nodded thoughtfully, then said:

"Speaking of which, the Water Ghosts around here might also be related to Huadu — is it possible that the Mechanical God Sect already knew about Huadu’s research in this area? Otherwise, how could they have so smoothly driven the Water Ghosts to attack us?"

"Hard to say."

Chen Jian clicked his tongue and shook his head, then continued:

"But one thing is certain, when we found the Huadu Banshee at the Blood Skull Camp, we didn’t get any follow-up intelligence from Xu Lie."

"The Holy Blood Temple didn’t respond, didn’t investigate."

"Now it seems, the lack of response might itself have been a kind of response."

"Damn it."

Zeng Yi exhaled deeply, while Chen Jian waved his hand dismissively, skipping over the topic.

"There’s no point in dwelling on this now — but I am curious, what’s the significance of this humanoid mecha?"

"He Shuo, did we have such a development trend back then?"

"Humanoid mecha? No, we didn’t."

He Shuo shook his head, replying:

"But from exoskeletons to humanoid mecha is actually just a step away."

"And such small mecha actually fulfill special tactical needs, so developing them in the future is quite normal."

Chen Jian couldn’t remember what He Shuo meant, and asked in confusion:

"What tactical needs?"

"Distributed warfare for the army, we were always pushing this topic back then."

"After Mao Wu, the theory of distributed warfare has been quite popular."

"Under this trend, the emergence of high-mobility, high-protection, high-firepower-output humanoid mecha with enough flexibility for urban combat, beach landings, and field raids seems quite normal, doesn’t it?"

"I guess so."

Chen Jian nodded thoughtfully and then looked at the inscription on the armor plates.

"Manufactured in 2040... that’s unfortunate, there probably aren’t many of these left, and our chances of finding usable mecha are quite low."

"Assembling a few units is likely the max, no way we can form a mecha corps."

"Why?"

Zeng Yi was puzzled, while Chen Jian and He Shuo exchanged a knowing smile.

Chen Jian coughed and replied:

"If these were mass-produced, it must have been to meet a specific battlefield demand."

"And we don’t believe that battlefield situation would linger unresolved until 2040."

"So... it probably was just a small batch of special equipment."

"I see..."

Zeng Yi nodded as if he understood, seemingly grasping something from Chen Jian’s words, yet unsure if he really did.

However, Chen Jian didn’t give him time to think further.

After instructing Zhao He to secure all the equipment, the four members of the team immediately organized their gear, preparing to head to a region marked on the map for reconnaissance operations.

At this time, through images transmitted by drones, He Shuo had already identified clear signs of human activity, and around those traces, a few trees had been cut or felled.

They must have been there before, but whether they are still there now or have moved to a safer underground shelter, only close reconnaissance can reveal the result.

This was destined to be a dangerous mission.

While sketching the ingress and egress routes on a crudely made paper map, Chen Jian deployed the operational tasks:

"The target reconnaissance area is 5 kilometers from the current position, which involves passing through a forested area with dense vegetation and complex terrain, making it the most dangerous zone."

"While traversing this area, Xie Liu and Zeng Yi will act as vanguards, advancing in a zigzag jungle search formation."

"This means that the two of you will alternate advancing diagonally, and once you reach the designated point, change direction to intercept with He Shuo and me perpendicularly."

"The purpose of this is to widen the search area as much as possible, mitigating hidden risks."

Using a few small stones to simulate their positions, Chen Jian briefly explained to Xie Liu and Zeng Yi about their locations, and with this straightforward demonstration, both immediately had a clear understanding of the tactic.

Then, Chen Jian continued:

"After crossing the dense jungle, we will arrive at a piece of cleared flatland."

"The vegetation here is sparse but mostly low shrubs, making progress challenging."

"However, with Wushan Lake in its low-water period, the waterline has receded, revealing an open path along the lakeshore."

"Our strategy is to advance along the lakeshore slopes, avoiding obstacles as much as possible."

"During the advance, we’ll use a single-file formation, with He Shuo maintaining drone reconnaissance, and Xie Liu and Zeng Yi taking up guard positions at the head and rear of the team."

"If abnormal situations are detected, don’t rush in, signal and immediately regroup towards the center."

"The enemy we face this time is not some giant monster, but a smart, agile, and perhaps experienced hunter."

"Therefore, the key point is to treat him as a human being."

"He could be hiding anywhere you can think of, or not think of."

"Even if we can’t spot him beforehand, make sure to pinpoint his location swiftly after his initial attack, understood?"

"Understood!"

Both answered immediately, and Chen Jian nodded with satisfaction, then put away the map and said:

"Let’s move out then."

"There’s no visible paved road leading to the target area, drive the vehicle as far as possible, and hide it when it can’t go further."

"Zeng Yi, go inform Zhao He to increase vigilance in the city."

"If anyone inquires about the merchants we dealt with earlier, note their characteristics but don’t engage them."

"The people from Huadu won’t be easy to handle; just look for opportunities to alert us, no need for unnecessary casualties. If the situation becomes critical, push the issue onto us first."

"Understood!"

Zeng Yi turned away, and moments later, under Zhao He’s astonished gaze, the group sped off.

Left standing there, Zhao He watched their departing figures, then at the house still blazing, and finally at the city defense officer standing beside him.

He asked:

"Did they say... they’re going to kill that monster?"

The city defense officer nodded and replied:

"That’s what they said."

Zhao He took a deep breath.

Less than half a day, and you’ve already found that monster?

So what do those Mechanical God Sect protectors I’ve hired count for? What about those Holy Blood members??

Their months-long unresolved issue, you intend to solve in a day?

Zhao He suddenly understood why the allied forces were defeated so thoroughly in the battle of Yellow Stone City.

Their defeat was not unwarranted.

So...

This monster’s life is already on a countdown, isn’t it?