Chapter 14: Looting

Chapter 14: Scavenging

Half an hour later, the four‑person squad expanded to eight, and they all re‑entered the subway tunnel.

Chen Jian chose not to launch another drone for reconnaissance, partly to conserve the little power left, and partly to see just how far the so‑called Holy Blooded ones could push their abilities.

And they did not disappoint him.

Although it was their first time entering the cavern, they showed strong professional skill in navigation, scouting, combat, and withdrawal.

Occasionally a giant mantis would dart out of the tunnel, but without exception it was instantly cut down by the shield‑bearer Li Shi and the scout Zeng Yi at the front.

The whole process was a spray of plasma, filled with the violent beauty of classical melee combat.

Chen Jian suspected that, judging purely by strength and speed, the individual quality of these Holy Blooded ones might even surpass that of the small monsters.

Add weapons and tools to the mix, and cutting them down was as easy as slicing melons.

But relative to combat prowess, it was the squad’s ‘functionality’ that truly amazed Chen Jian.

He had thought Xu Lie was merely a scout, tasked with ordinary reconnaissance.

But he never imagined that Xu Lie possessed not only low‑light night vision but also a sense of smell far beyond that of ordinary people.

He could guide the squad forward by following the lingering scent of the mother creature, moving through every turn without any unnecessary pause.

Damn, what kind of human‑hound is this?

I have to admit, at least in this regard, my four‑person squad is far behind these Holy Blooded ones.

Following Xu Lie’s lead, Chen Jian noticed the smell of blood growing stronger with each step.

He raised his hand in a warning signal; the others almost simultaneously raised their guns and began advancing in a combat stance.

Xu Lie was startled by their movement, then quickly spoke:

“Don’t be too nervous; theoretically, the closer we get to the nest, the safer we are.”

“These monsters also have a strict hierarchy; a lower‑rank creature almost never approaches the nest of a higher‑rank one unless the latter is completely dead and its corpse has rotted away.”

“So if you can already feel the nest ahead, it means we’ve made it through the most dangerous stretch.”

That said, Chen Jian merely nodded, keeping his gun in hand.

He had indeed clearly sensed the change in the environment—higher temperature, thicker scent of blood, and, of course, everything grew quieter.

To be precise, it was a deathly stillness.

It was the kind of stillness where even microbial reproduction seemed to have ceased.

“We’re almost there.”

Xu Lie said in a relaxed tone:

“I don’t know what good stuff we’ll find this time.”

“What good stuff could there be?”

Chen Jian asked doubtfully.

“Of course there is!”

Xu Lie flamboyantly drew his pistol and said:

“And this radio set was found in a nest.”

“Last time near Jiangcheng we killed a level‑five monster, and this pistol came from its nest.”

“A functional pistol is hard to come by, even for the Machine God Sect—”

Mid‑sentence, Chen Jian drew his QSW06 silenced pistol from his thigh; Xu Lie saw it and swallowed the rest of his words.

“.Well, maybe you don’t lack these things either.”

“But regardless, the monsters’ habit of dragging their kills back to the nest means their lairs tend to be where regional resources are most concentrated.”

“Even if you’re not short on weapons and ammo, have a good look—you might discover something else.”

When Xu Lie finished speaking, Chen Jian said nothing. In fact, how could he possibly not be short on weapons and ammo?

After successive battles, the squad’s ammunition reserves were completely depleted; he had only a few dozen 5.8mm rifle rounds left.

That is why he urgently needed to cooperate with the Holy Blooded squad.

After all, threatening the Holy Blooded team with his scarce ammo is far more sensible than using those rounds to fight the monsters head‑on.

Of course, he could never reveal this thought to Xu Lie.

Once the other side realized his squad was strong on the outside but weak within, their cooperation would collapse instantly.

That is an indisputable fact.

So what Chen Jian most hopes for now is to find the supplies he needs in the so‑called burial ground.

Bullets or firearms—anything that can bolster the squad’s fighting power, he will welcome.

Holding that thought, he followed closely behind Xu Lie into the burial site.

His view instantly opened up; countless white bones lay piled on the ground, while deeper layers had weathered into gray‑white dust.

Looking up, the sky light poured straight down, the bright spot resembling a well shaft.

The height here was at least fifty meters above ground; Chen Jian looked around and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

“.Looks familiar, huh?”

Chen Jian turned to the other team members and asked.

“It looks very familiar, except the roof has collapsed.”

Shen Yue drew a breath of cool air, a little hesitant as he said:

“Isn’t this just 1102? Judging by the location, it seems about right.”

“No need to approximate—this is exactly 1102.”

Lei Jie pointed to the right wall of the cavern hall and said:

“There are still remnants of the scaffolding there, but the height is wrong.”

“Currently the scaffolding is under three meters tall, but back when we first came through we saw it as about twelve meters, roughly three stories.”

“In other words, the ground beneath our feet has been buried by nearly ten meters.”

“If we want to go deeper inside, we’d have to dig out that ten meters of ash completely.”

“Obviously, we can’t do that now.”

“It’s a shame, because a permanent fortification like 1102 always has sealed storage rooms; if we’re lucky, the contents might still be usable.”

“Even if the items are unusable, finding the original records could let us infer what exactly happened to this world.”

Lei Jie’s words trailed off, and Chen Jian couldn’t help but frown.

Yes, although knowing the world’s truth is a luxury for them now, who would refuse a chance to glimpse it?

It’s a pity that such exploration can only be left for later.

Not far off, the Holy Blooded squad had already begun scavenging.

Their movements were swift; the scattered skeletons, along with the junk they deemed useless, were hurled into the air as if flung by hand, then came crashing down heavily to the ground.

The sight involuntarily reminded Chen Jian of the sorting scene at a courier hub, making him almost want to laugh.

But the next second, as his gaze swept over an object flying through the air, his expression changed in an instant.

Damn, even this gets tossed?!

(End of Chapter)