Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 178 - 63 The Land of the Fallen Furnace_2

Chapter 178: Chapter 63 The Land of the Fallen Furnace_2

On the radio, the people on the other end were also silent for a long time.

They all knew the importance of this information; it was definitely more than just about a few planes.

It was even possible that the cargo inside the planes could immediately unravel the mysteries surrounding the Fu Xi project.

They all knew this clue should not be abandoned, but the problem was, they seemed to lack the qualifications to enter the forbidden zone.

Information is certainly important, but if it requires trading several people’s health, or even lives, for it, then it doesn’t seem that important.....

After a long discussion, they were still unable to come up with a feasible plan.

By now, it was already midnight.

"....The biggest difficulty with this problem is that if we’re going to go in, we’ll have only one chance no matter what."

"If we don’t seize this opportunity, we won’t be able to make a second attempt any time soon."

"The radiation dose is too high; entering consecutively in a short period would be deadly."

"At least, we have to wait a few months until the body’s radiation damage is repaired before we can go in again."

"Time is a big problem; we can’t wait that long, and we don’t have that many people..."

On the radio, He Shuo’s tone was slightly somber.

And after he had finished speaking, Chen Jian had no choice but to overturn the latest plan he had just thought of.

He had originally planned to use high-density peripheral reconnaissance to determine a route with the least radiation exposure.

But now it seemed that even with this plan, he didn’t have enough manpower to tread carefully...

----However, when He Shuo brought up the "manpower issue," Ji Xing’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Xie Liu said that the radiation in the forbidden zone is not uniform, and in most areas, the radiation levels are very low."

"Since this is the case, we can hire people to first scout out the route, and that way we can minimize our exposure time to radiation as much as possible."

"The reason the forbidden zone is so dangerous is that the people in Yellow Stone City don’t have instruments that can detect the ’curse,’ so their exploration is completely blind."

"But you have such instruments."

"So why not give the instrument to others and have them take it with them to scout the way?"

"...It could be deadly."

Chen Jian said helplessly.

"If you don’t say it, who would know they might die?"

Ji Xing blinked and continued:

"You just need to tell them that this device can monitor the strength of the curse in real time and ensure their safety."

"The lure of the forbidden zone has always been great; otherwise, Yellow Stone City wouldn’t have people constantly trying to enter there to explore."

"Trust me, if you throw out such a ’divine tool,’ someone will be willing to work for you."

"If you’re worried about some so-called ’moral dilemma,’ I happen to know a bunch of people whose lives aren’t worth much, who are perfect for this job..."

....

The people Ji Xing found, in fact, were no different from those found by Huadu.

They were collectively known as "Hunters," but in reality, they were mercenaries who valued money over their lives.

These people had quite complex backgrounds and no unified organization.

They operated in large settlements, completing tasks given by employers with their own martial strength in exchange for corresponding rewards.

And precisely because they had no unified organization, their capabilities varied widely, leading to their missions not being so clean-cut.

Coincidentally, the people Ji Xing found had recently received a mission from Huadu to attack Yellow Stone City.

When meeting with Chen Jian and the others, the man leading them boasted about this as though it were a matter of pride.

".... Boss, you can rest assured."

"The capabilities of the team I lead are second to none in all of Tongling, and even the entire South."

"Except for the regular armies of the Holy Blood Temple and the Mechanical God Sect, almost no one can stand against us directly."

"Just a few days ago, we received a mission from Huadu to attack the main base of a new force that had just been established."

"It’s called something like the Huaxia Army, and their strength is quite formidable."

"It’s said they completely wiped out the Holy Temple Guard Brigade of the Mechanical God Sect."

"But in front of us, they were still too inexperienced."

"Unfortunately, when we received the mission and were preparing to set out, Huadu had already canceled it."

"I heard it’s because another batch of Hunters messed things up, and Huadu felt there was no need to seek further retribution."

"I even feel sorry for them, if they’d found us immediately, the results would definitely have been much better..."

When the man finished speaking, Chen Jian and the others exchanged glances without showing much emotion, with faint, hidden smiles in their expressions.

However, Chen Jian wasn’t planning to reveal his identity at this moment.

He just nodded slightly and then said:

"It seems like you are indeed strong----so let’s get straight to the point."

"The task we need you to handle this time is simple."

"Take our instrument into the forbidden zone of Tongling City, and then use the numbers displayed on the device to map out the best route to the core area."

"You guys want to go to the forbidden zone??"

The man looked at Chen Jian in amazement and then asked:

"What are you going there for? There’s nothing worth exploring there anymore!"

"No, that’s not quite right."

"What I mean is, even if there’s something valuable in the forbidden zone, you can’t get it out!"

"The curse in the forbidden zone is strong, and ordinary people cannot survive in there for long."

"If you go deep into the forbidden zone, intruders would die from the curse within two or three days."

"Even if by sheer luck, they don’t get cursed too much, they can’t survive more than three years."

"It’s been a long time since anyone entered the forbidden zone...it’s meaningless!"

"You just haven’t found the right method."

Chen Jian shook his head and gave Ji Xing a look.

The latter then picked up the makeshift Geiger counter and exaggerated its effectiveness.

The man looked at Ji Xing with skepticism and then asked:

"How can you prove that this thing really works?"

Ji Xing, upon hearing the question, pointed to Xie Liu and replied:

"She just went in, do you think she looks like she’s having problems?"

"...No. But if you guys have already gone in, why do you still need us?"

"Because we’re short on manpower."

Chen Jian took over the conversation, using a standard mix of truth and fabrication to explain the predicament the team was facing, and after hearing his words, the man took a long breath and finally nodded slowly.

"We can give it a try."

"We’re never short on people...if it’s really as you say, we can take on this mission."

"However, you have to first tell me what exactly you’re going in there to find!"

"Does it concern you?"

Ji Xing frowned and retorted, to which the man resolutely nodded and replied:

"Of course it concerns me."

"The forbidden zone of Tongling City is not as simple as outsiders think; it’s the legendary ’Furnace’s Fall.’

"The Furnace’s treasure is buried deep within the forbidden zone. Everyone wants it, but no one has ever truly gotten it."

"Since you’ve already prepared to enter, I assume you’ve obtained some kind of clue."

"You’re using my men’s lives to pave the way for your clue, so it’s quite reasonable that I ask for a higher reward, right?"

"...Reasonable."

Chen Jian nodded slowly and then asked:

"What do you want?"

"Besides the basic pay, I want half of whatever you find."

"One-third."

Chen Jian made a bargaining gesture, and the man paused briefly before saying:

"Forty percent, we’ll take forty percent."

"Alright."

Chen Jian nodded decisively and then continued:

"But in exchange, you have to first tell us all the information you know about the forbidden zone."

"You seem to know a lot about the forbidden zone, don’t you?"

"...No, no one can say they know a lot about the forbidden zone."

The man sighed and then said:

"But I do know some things about the forbidden zone."

"Legend has it, a giant beast once fell there, and the furnace inside that beast’s belly burned in the forbidden zone for decades..."