Chapter 24: Exoskeleton

Chapter24: Exoskeleton

“The barrel of the 95-1 is still intact, but the receiver is basically ruined.”

“This is the stock of a Type 191, but the body is missing.”

“The magazine of the Type 81 LMG—there’s nothing left but the magazine itself.”

“The ceramic insert for the body armor, Ji Hua brand, Level 5—this is good stuff; we’re currently wearing Level 3 plates, so we can take it.”

“The Q3 entrenching tool—how on earth has it survived this long??”

Chen Jian, rummaging through the “treasury” while voicing his doubts, asked Xu Lie:

“Where on earth did these people dig up all this gear? The basement is piled to the ceiling—just clearing it out would take ages.”

Xu Lie stood aside, staring blankly as Chen Jian rattled off the names of the broken weapons littering the ground, momentarily forgetting how to reply.

He didn’t know where Chen Jian’s knowledge came from, but he was certain that this “know-it‑all” attitude meant something significant.

Just after interrogating the innkeeper, Xu Lie heard a phrase from the man’s lips:

“The phantom of the pre‑Cataclysm era.”

So perhaps these Chosen Ones hold the knowledge from before the Cataclysm?

If that’s the case, many of our questions would be answered.

But if, on the other hand, their minds truly contain an unfathomable “divine truth,” then it also means they will bring endless conflict in the future.

We must win them over.

No—even if we don’t recruit them, we cannot let them swing toward the Machine God Cult!

Xu Lie was still pondering whether to act more humbly or to deliberately show Chen Jian the might of the Scarlet Blood Hall, when Chen Jian’s renewed call snapped him out of his scattered thoughts.

“What are you thinking about? I’m asking you!”

“Huh? Oh, in the ruins!”

Xu Lie hurriedly replied:

“These miners are the lowest tier of the Machine God Cult; their job is to scour the continent for pre‑Cataclysm relics, feeding weapons and technology to the Machine God’s Hall.”

“But we don’t know exactly where or how they dig—after all, we’re not particularly keen on this line of work.”

“The Scarlet Blood Hall’s philosophy differs from that of the Machine God Cult; they cling to the old ways, while we are trying to forge a new path.”

“This is also the root of our conflict, but regardless, we must be superior to them.”

“Who asked you?”

Chen Jian chuckled and cut Xu Lie off; he could clearly hear the speaker puffing himself up while putting down the Machine God Cult, but he didn’t take it to heart.

Wherever people exist, there is conflict—let alone when the two sides have already drawn their battle lines.

Xu Lie’s motive is hardly mysterious; he simply wants to pull himself into their camp.

But he can’t make that decision just yet.

So he waved his hand and said:

“Let’s set aside the useless stuff for now—I want to know whether you have any idea where this stuff actually comes from.”

“If we could trace the source, we might keep digging like they do; even if we don’t use it ourselves, it would make excellent trade goods.”

“Indeed.”

Xu Lie nodded and replied:

“Under the right circumstances, we would do the same.”

“But the problem is that grave‑digging is a highly skilled job—ordinary folks simply can’t handle it.”

“Just as you’ve seen, the vast majority of Xia Ma Zhen’s residents are mutated mixed‑blood people, they”

“Can’t you get to the point!”

Chen Jian, worn down by Xu Lie’s rambling, cut him off again and asked:

“I have just one question: where does the equipment in Xia Ma Zhen come from?”

“Some cave, some underground tunnel, or somewhere else?”

“Most likely it’s in the lake.”

Xu Lie finally gave Chen Jian the answer he wanted—unfortunately, it wasn’t all that satisfying.

“In the lake? Why?”

“The monster is in the lake, so the resources are there too—that’s a simple deduction.”

“Besides, you said the lake bottom has a lot of dead air—that must be the monster’s lair.”

Before Chen Jian could speak again, Xu Lie hurriedly explained:

“That’s right—we know there’s a monster in the lake, but it never comes ashore, poses little threat, so no one bothers to hunt it.”

“We also don’t know how this monster relates to the Xia Ma Zhen locals, but it looks like they’ve developed some kind of symbiotic relationship.”

“Like the converts and the host?”

“Yes, just like the converts in Chuan Sha and that Level‑4 monster.”

“Understood.”

Chen Jian nodded.

From Xu Lie’s words he could tell the man wasn’t lying; his intel on the town was merely superficial.

In fact, that’s the most reasonable situation.

Without adequate long‑range communication or transport, without a unified central authority, and lacking sufficient grassroots control, the central government ought to know nothing about local conditions.

Otherwise, why would those great feudal dynasties suffer broken bones every time they put down a rebellion?

It’s not because, by the time they notice a revolt, the rebels already have a hundred thousand banners.

And now, the Scarlet Blood Hall’s power is clearly several tiers below those feudal dynasties—just knowing that Xia Ma Zhen exists is already the limit of their capability.

Having reached this point, Chen Jian stopped asking questions and, together with the rest of the team, began meticulously sorting through the neatly piled junk.

“Don’t worry about whole firearms—collect any usable parts; you might be able to assemble something later.”

“Captain, we’ve got ammo!”

Lei Jie’s voice, tinged with excitement, came from the corner; Chen Jian took two steps over and saw—sure enough—a large crate full of ammunition.

The wooden ammo crate was already stained with water; lifting the lid revealed two rust‑streaked iron ammunition boxes.

UBP95‑5.8 steel.

Standard 5.8 mm ammunition box!

Chen Jian eagerly opened the ammo box, but the moment he touched it he sensed something was off.

The box had already been opened.

In fact, after opening it, each of the two ammo boxes held less than half a load of rounds, and the vast majority of the bullets were rusted and ruined.

“It looks like the folks from Xia Ma Zhen intercepted the ammo, selling off most of the good stuff.”

Xu Lie, who stood to the side, leaned in and said.

“As many as there are, Lei Jie—pack them up.”

“Shen Yue, did you find any ammunition on your end?”

“No.”

Shen Yue’s tone carried a hint of hesitation.

“I didn’t find the bullets, but I found something.”

“What is it?”

Chen Jian lifted his head, looking toward Shen Yue’s direction.

In the other’s hand was a piece of deep‑black metal, his eyes full of doubt.

“What the hell is this?”

Chen Jian stepped forward and took the object from Shen Yue’s hand.

He lowered his head and examined it closely.

An open‑frame scaffold, movable joints, a miniature hydraulic device at the tip, and a servomotor on the side.

Chen Jian drew a deep breath; he knew what it was.

Although the pieces were scattered,

there was no doubt—this was absolutely a single‑soldier combat exoskeleton!

An active exoskeleton!

(End of chapter)