Chapter 166: Nezha

Chapter 166: Nezha

“This package is a mech.”

Gazing at the six humanoid mechs before him, each towering close to two and a half meters, Chen Jian exhaled slowly and then said:

“Lingxi, give us the briefing.”

“Acknowledged.”

Lingxi’s voice echoed from the independent depot where the mechs were stored.

“What you are witnessing is the NEST‑2040 single‑soldier exoskeleton combat system, codename ‘Nezha’.”

“This platform is conceived as a modular urban and mountainous assault system, augmenting individual combat effectiveness and survivability, tailored for special operations and rapid‑response units—a pivotal achievement born of distributed warfare doctrine.”

“In terms of power and mobility, the suit employs a carbon‑fiber‑titanium alloy exoskeleton as its main frame, coupled with biomimetic tendon drives, delivering a 25 km/h sprint and a 1.2 m vertical leap in march mode, and 40 km/h with a 1.8 m vertical leap in combat mode.”

“Regarding energy, the system is powered by solid‑state lithium‑sulfur battery packs boasting an energy density of 1,200 Wh/kg, supplemented by a miniature fuel‑cell backup unit, enabling 144 hours of low‑intensity operation or eight hours at full power, and featuring a quick‑release battery design for rapid recharging.”

“For passive defense, its outer shell is sheathed in boron‑nitride ceramic‑graphene composite armor, offering penetration resistance equivalent to 40 mm RHA, while critical zones embed electro‑chromic material for optical adaptive camouflage with a response time under half a second.”

“On the active defense side, the suit integrates a micro‑laser counter‑measure array, achieving over a 70 % success rate against low‑speed rockets and drone incursions.”

“Regarding weapons and fire‑control, this system differs little from the L170 exoskeleton you wear, relying chiefly on a modular weapon rack mounted on its back.”

“Unlike the L170, however, all six racks are equipped with intelligent targeting suites that fuse millimeter‑wave radar, infrared, and visible‑light multispectral data, coupled with the tactical AI ‘War‑Cranium’, enabling threat prioritization and auto‑aim correction within fifty milliseconds.”

“The battlefield situational awareness system resides in the helmet’s integrated AR tactical interface, projecting a 120° field‑of‑view hologram that merges allied positions, terrain modeling, and live threat heatmaps, and supports a non‑invasive EEG brain‑machine interface for secondary functions.”

“That concludes the basic overview of this equipment. Do you require further details?”

“No, that’ll be all.”

Chen Jian reached out to touch the so‑called “exoskeleton” before him, yet his hand met not the anticipated chill of cold metal.

Indeed, the armor of this contraption was never meant to be metallic.

The slight discrepancy left Chen Jian momentarily dazed, while across the room Lei Jie seemed already lost in a rapturous reverie.

“Holy crap—non‑invasive EEG brain‑machine? I can’t even imagine such a thing. Is it really that miraculous?”

As his words faded, Lingxi replied without delay:

“When this system was conceived, EEG brain‑machine technology was still nascent, so its neural interface can only handle secondary tasks—basic movements, weapon preparation, and the like.”

“Finer control is delegated to the helmet’s targeting suite in concert with the War‑Cranium AI.”

“Understood—the brain‑machine is merely an aid; the primary fire‑control remains conventional.”

Chen Jian nodded pensively, while Lingxi corrected:

“If by ‘traditional fire‑control’ you refer to pre‑2030 legacy tech, that characterization may be inaccurate.”

“The helmet’s integrated AR does not rely on conventional positional sensors to compute angles; instead, it automatically derives the visual focal point from eye‑ and pupil‑tracking data, thereby achieving—”

“Enough, no need to go on.”

Chen Jian cut Lingxi’s endless technical monologue short, then turned to Lei Jie and said:

“So, what do you say—shall we give it a try?”

“Absolutely!”

Lei Jie nodded instantly, then added:

“But there’s no rush; this thing is already ours, we can test it whenever we wish.”

“What I’m really curious about is the ‘Mighty’ vehicle—now that the mechs are this ferocious, shouldn’t a mature armored car be even more formidable?”

“Indeed. Lingxi, brief us on the Mighty vehicle.”

“Understood. The model is the sixth‑generation Mighty high‑mobility anti‑mine ambush carrier, equipped with a UW‑9 remote‑operated weapons station, presently bearing the Arm‑Shield‑2 short‑range air‑defense system, though it can be swapped for other armaments.”

A barrage of specifications left Chen Jian and his companions utterly stunned.

Without hesitation, he pressed Lingxi to catalogue every principal weapon in the depot. When the briefing finally concluded, everyone stood rooted, unsure of what to do next.

In a word, they were overwhelmed.

Not because the technology was beyond comprehension.

In truth, while the “Nezha” mechs towered without limit, the arsenal still included a lightweight 152 mm howitzer towed by a cat‑cart.

The technological span is vast, yet it aligns with our armed forces’ equipment doctrine.

It’s akin to their era, where swarms of J‑20s roamed the skies while legions of aging Type 88 tanks remained in service.

What truly shocked them was the almost extreme minimalism of the weapons layout within this cavernous storehouse.

The warehouse itself was massive—its volume exceeding five times that of 7025.

Yet, when tallied, it housed only a handful of core assets.

Six mechs, a Mighty carrier, an electromagnetic cannon, a 152 mm howitzer mounted on a tow vehicle, a compact strike‑recon UAV—and that was all.

In the remaining space, aside from Zone 1’s light arms and ammunition and Zone 2’s unmanned combat gear, the other eight zones were filled exclusively with spare parts, weapons, and ammo for those core systems!

——

No, even the gear in Zones 1 and 2 can be paired with the core assets.

One could say the armory is built around those few pivotal pieces.

No wonder its contents exhibit far more “order” than those of 7025.

Chen Jian harbored a strong suspicion that these items had long been pre‑staged, merely relocated when the cataclysm struck.

Scanning the surroundings, Chen Jian’s mind suddenly posed a question.

What, exactly, are these weapons intended to strike?

He felt a sword‑drawn, bewildered gaze, and recalling the level‑two monster lurking in Jinling, he sensed the foe was no longer a solitary adversary.

Damn, we even have drones!

This isn’t a pitiful little recon drone this time; it’s a fixed‑wing strike‑recon platform!

Though with a wingspan under ten meters, it clearly cannot drop air‑launched missiles.

Yet the cruise missiles stored in Zone 2 were unmistakably meant for it.

What creature could endure dozens of those cruise missiles?

What monster could survive a hundred 152 mm howitzer rounds?

What beast could shrug off a hundred 105 mm electromagnetic armor‑piercing projectiles?

Level two?

Even a level‑one would be useless, right??

The only problem now seems to be a shortage of personnel to man this arsenal.

Yet that issue is not insurmountable.

As long as we can locate that monster, our squad can neutralize it from well over ten kilometers away.

Insufficient manpower?

A turn‑based system will do!

Chen Jian’s confidence surged; he lightly patted the mech at his side, then said:

“Come then.”

“Everyone, change your gear.”

“Zeng Yi, you go up and give it a try.”

“Familiarize yourselves with the controls quickly, then we set out.”

“I’m eager to see whether this so‑called second‑tier monster fears the tungsten‑cored armor‑piercing round from a 152‑mm mortar!”

(End of chapter)