Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 195 - 73 Welcome Back

Chapter 195: Chapter 73 Welcome Back

After more than 300 years, many things have corroded and weathered away, but the coarse rocks have ultimately remained.

Chen Jian did not hesitate and immediately ordered everyone to regroup and redeploy, advancing gradually in the direction indicated by the arrows on the rocks.

They were forced deeper into the mycelial forest, and the concentration of toxic gases began to rise gradually.

Chen Jian kept a close eye on the changing values on his smart goggles, then opened his mouth to give orders:

"Everyone, reduce your breathing rate to extend the usage time of your air tanks as much as possible."

"Those without air tanks, try to hold your breath. If you can’t hold on, share an air tank with someone nearby."

"Understood!"

No one questioned his orders, and they were quickly executed.

Tactical flashlights shone, beams penetrating the dense mycelial forest, interlacing with the faint fluorescence at the bases of the stalks.

The team cautiously advanced. Chen Jian was initially worried about not finding a second indicator, but it was evident that previous explorers had anticipated his concerns.

The second guide appeared on a towering granite statue, with the same simple indication inscribed and an arrow pointing the way.

As they got closer to their final destination, Chen Jian’s heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

He initially thought this reconnaissance mission would be quite challenging, but to his surprise, it had been smooth sailing so far.

Perhaps because they had found the right method?

Perhaps because of their overwhelming knowledge?

After all, for the Mechanical God Sect, if they couldn’t figure out the principles of the toxic gases inside the Jinling Ruins, it would be nearly impossible to get this far, right?

Chen Jian shook his head, dispelling the slightly chaotic thoughts.

And at that moment, the third guide had already appeared.

Just like playing a "treasure hunt game," the eight-member team followed the clues continually forward. After penetrating several hundred meters into the mycelial forest, they finally reached their final destination.

"This is it."

Chen Jian took the air tank from Ji Xing, took a deep breath, and continued:

"The inertial navigation coordinates are off, but this piece of granite was obviously brought here later."

"Beneath us is the entrance to Fort 095."

"But the problem is... it’s completely buried."

As he spoke, Chen Jian tentatively stomped his foot.

The soft ground sank slightly, but it was clear that what was beneath his feet was not loose soil, but some kind of organic layer made of fungi.

Chen Jian had never expected that the final obstacle blocking their entry into the fort would be this.

"What do we do? Blow it up?"

Lei Jie instinctively asked.

Chen Jian shook his head and replied:

"If it could be blown up, that would be easy. It’s completely filled underneath. How much explosive would you need to clear it out?"

"And burning it won’t work; this isn’t dry branches and leaves, the moisture content is too high, it won’t burn at all."

"There’s no other choice, we’ll have to dig."

Chen Jian spoke helplessly, and the others, unable to come up with any ideas, could only lay down their weapons and return to their vehicle to retrieve digging tools.

This was definitely not a simple task, as the bases of these umbrella-shaped mycelia concentrated a large amount of toxic gases, causing irreversible damage to the human body if inhaled.

Thus, Chen Jian and the others could only take turns, first cutting down the surrounding mycelia, using thermobaric grenades to burn and clear away the toxic gases nearby, and then digging when the environment was relatively safe.

The physical exertion was enormous. In the depths of winter, everyone’s clothes were already soaked with sweat.

If it wasn’t known that a massive secret was hidden below, it was likely that no one could persist in such harsh working conditions.

After toiling for a full six hours, by the time the sky was about to brighten, Chen Jian and the others finally opened a narrow entrance on the ground.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Jian immediately ordered Lei Jie to approach the passage and use two thermobaric grenades to ignite the high-concentration toxic gases collected inside.

When the passing air once again filled the passage, they donned their air tanks once more and entered inside.

The long passage spiraled downwards, and the deeper they went, the fewer traces of fungal proliferation they observed.

This was undoubtedly good news.

A newfound confidence surged in Chen Jian.

Perhaps the fort below could be relatively well preserved?

His pace involuntarily quickened, and those around him did the same.

As the first isolation door appeared before them, he eagerly stepped forward.

The process was exactly the same as when they were at Fort 7025, opening the first isolation door and then the airtight door. A few minutes later, Chen Jian successfully stood before the final security door of this underground fort, identical to Fort 7025.

But it was at this very moment that he suddenly realized something was off.

It was too bright.

And this brightness definitely wasn’t coming from the thermal fusion night vision goggles in front of him.

Instinctively, he flipped up the night vision goggles, and then dazzling light entered his eyes.

It was the light from the LED fixtures overhead.

Chen Jian looked in shock at the others who had also taken off their night vision goggles, and immediately, he heard Shen Yue’s voice beside him.

"Damn... the internal exhaust fan has kicked in, making a lot of noise."

"The environmental maintenance system of this fort is still operational!"

Chen Jian instinctively looked at the values displayed on his smart goggles, but before he could make them out, a strong wind blew out rapidly from inside.

Mixed with a small amount of dust and the scent of decay, the air was expelled. Immediately after, the locking mechanism on the security door roared into action, and the door slowly began to open.

Chen Jian could not describe the shock in his heart at that moment.

On their way here, he had imagined countless scenarios regarding the condition of this fort.

He thought the fort might have been destroyed or, like the one at the Huangzhou Ruins, completely corroded away.

In the best case, he imagined it might be relatively intact like Fort 7025, allowing them to acquire enough supplies.

But he never imagined that the lights in the fort could still work.

Nor did he imagine that the final security door of the fort wouldn’t be opened manually by them, nor blown open with explosives, but opened automatically under some kind of steel and electric power.

Those standing behind him, including Zeng Yi, were equally dumbfounded.

True, they had indeed seen many colossal creations.

But they had never seen a steel door like this one move so smoothly and gently on its own.

Zeng Yi walked forward in fascination to touch the heavy security door and, with a tone of awe and stammering, asked,

"Is this... some kind of giant machine?"

Hearing his words, Chen Jian shook his head and replied:

"No, this is just an automatic door."

After saying this, he didn’t bother to look at Zeng Yi’s expression.

Because right before him, the lights inside Fort 095 were gradually turning on.

The floor, covered with a thin layer of dust, reflected the lights overhead, and within the spacious area, countless standardized packaging boxes were methodically arranged in an extremely orderly manner.

Unlike the slightly chaotic and hastily set-up inside Fort 7025, the interior of this fort was excessively neat.

Chen Jian instinctively walked in, and the moment his footstep touched the ground, a slightly cold yet human-like voice suddenly resounded in his ears.

"Fort 095 is now open."

"Welcome back."