Chapter 235: Nuclear Bombs Are Now Free to Use

Chapter 235: The Nuclear Bombs Are Free

Chen Jian had never imagined that the greatest gain of this northern expedition would not be gear, nor intelligence, nor even the revenge against Huadu and the proclaimed punishment of evil, but something so simple, yet something they truly lacked.

People.

Highly skilled combatants, and ordinary folk capable of tilling the soil.

This lay entirely beyond his calculations, and could even be called a tremendous surprise.

What does the revival of civilization truly depend upon?

Technology? Equipment? Ideology?

In the end, it is still people.

Humanity is the foundation of all, even though for the vast majority of the time, for most of the ruling elite, “population” is merely a cold statistic.

Yet those icy numbers constitute the most basic element of a civilization.

Watching Lin Shen, who seemed to have let go of everything, sigh with relief, Chen Jian asked again to confirm:

“So you mean you will lead the Holy Blood Hall, and the people under its sway, to Jinling to join us?”

“Yes.”

Lin Shen nodded gravely.

“It will be an expedition, just as our Holy Father left the Imperial Capital; we too must depart, to chase the soil that can truly perpetuate civilization.”

“But an expedition cannot be completed in a single sunrise.”

“The Holy Blood Hall oversees more than a hundred thousand civilians, scattered far and wide; we cannot ferry them all at once.”

“They need shelter, a steady supply of food, and security along the way.”

“It is not a matter of a single, swift stroke.”

“Perhaps we will need a year, two years, or even longer to see it through.”

“But in the end, we will accomplish it.”

“The prerequisite is—”

“The Beast Tide must be eradicated.”

Chen Jian cut Lin Shen short.

“Exactly.”

Lin Shen stared at Chen Jian and spoke once more:

“Therefore, we must quicken our pace.”

“Return to the Holy Blood Hall; I have more to entrust to you.”

“No problem.”

Chen Jian nodded immediately.

In truth, he fully grasped the origin of Lin Shen’s proposal to “migrate civilians southward.”

Such a notion was far from a whim; it was the product of careful deliberation.

From another angle, why, before our squad’s arrival, did humanity always cluster in dispersed, isolated hamlets, each fighting its own battle?

Wouldn’t a larger population increase the odds of survival?

That is an intuitive judgment, yet it does not fit the wasteland’s reality.

In this world, colossal monsters pose an overwhelming threat to mankind.

Though humanity has begun to wield the means to counter the beasts, no faction dares to guarantee that the settlements they nurture and shelter can emerge unscathed from a monster’s onslaught.

Take the previous battle, for instance; had Chen Jian’s team not arrived in time, the damage wrought by merely three beasts could have reached a perilous threshold.

Thus, dispersed habitation is the optimal survival strategy.

Under such a strategy, even if a settlement is struck, humanity can relocate in the briefest possible interval to the next unthreatened enclave.

——

Of course, the circumstances have changed.

Now, every soul upon the wasteland can see clearly that the Huaxia army under his command holds absolute superiority over the monsters.

Even with insufficient equipment and manpower, they can effortlessly annihilate clusters of more than ten beasts.

As settlements expand, population ceases to be a burden and becomes an advantage.

Hence, he resolved without hesitation.

One must admit, this so‑called “Holy Father” is not the same species as the “Saint” of the Mechanical Cult.

His moral standards are high, and his capacity for rational thought is remarkably sound.

Perhaps the Holy Blooders he leads will become vital allies of the Huaxia army in the wasteland?

Chen Jian did not draw a conclusion at once.

He knew that Lin Shen could not wholly represent all the Holy Blooders; they would still need further trials.

At that moment, Lei Jie had completed the acquisition of the nuclear weapon key and, in tandem, inspected every remaining warhead in the arsenal.

The underground nuclear complex stores far more weapons than the Air‑Ten Division base, and the condition of the armaments surpasses that repository by a great margin.

“Now the nuclear bombs are finally free.”

Lei Jie, returning, wore an unmistakable grin.

“That Wang He at the Imperial Capital base is no ordinary figure; I suspect he was involved in classified work before the Great Cataclysm, perhaps even a nuclear researcher.”

“Do you know what he did? He catalogued every warhead!”

“He sorted those using plutonium‑239 into one class, those built with uranium material into another, and those equipped with tritium triggers into a third.”

“All warheads were meticulously managed, any that could be dismantled were taken apart, minimizing the issue of bulk storage.”

“The mechanical structures are stored separately, and their condition is remarkably good.”

“Our sole remaining problem is the trigger mechanism.”

“But this isn’t an unsolvable dilemma; if necessary, we can make do with a makeshift solution.”

“Even if we cannot achieve full yield, proper distance control can mitigate the radiation hazard.”

“In short, he anticipated almost every conceivable difficulty, and after nearly fifty years of careful maintenance, these nukes may be far more stable than the one we detonated before.”

As Lei Jie’s words faded, Chen Jian nodded thoughtfully.

“No wonder they assigned Wang He to guard the arsenal.”

“So, of the warheads we have located that are likely still usable, what is their total yield?”

“At present, I count forty‑six warheads still operable.”

Lei Jie counted on his fingers, speaking:

“Four of them, each over three megatons, were all installed on the Dong

feng‑41.”

“There are six warheads exceeding a megaton, twenty of them ranging from two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand tons, and the rest are small tactical warheads, each between twenty and one hundred thousand tons.”

“I feel it’s more than enough.”

“Damn, bragging—no matter how fierce the beast tide is, can it outmatch a single three‑million‑ton nuclear warhead?”

“This thing’s combined lethal radius exceeds ten kilometers; once it detonates, what monster could possibly survive?”

“We now have forty‑six, and with Shen Yue’s haul from Huangshan and the Air‑Ten Division base, we’re likely over a hundred.”

“With these warheads, a fifty‑kilometer‑radius circle around the Jinling ruins would be sufficient.”

“I don’t believe any monster could breach that circle.”

“Lei Jie’s words were brimming with confidence, but Chen Jian poured a cold splash of reality over them.”

“Do you think those monsters are dimwits? They’re not mindless zombies.”

“The small beast tides that assaulted the Imperial Capital are ironclad evidence; clearly each assault is planned and premeditated.”

“We must remain cautious—no matter how many nukes we have, they must be used where they count.”

“Understood, understood.”

“Lei Jie chuckled, saying:”

“We value them tactically, disdain them strategically.” “Now, what’s the plan—withdraw?”

“No.”

“Chen Jian shook his head slowly.”

“The second wave of the beast tide is already heading here; if we retreat now, nearly ten thousand civilians in the capital will be lost, and the southern evacuation route will be sealed.”

“We must solve this problem and, in the process, conduct an experiment.”

“We have the nukes in hand—how can we not use them?”

“Coincidentally, an unseen ‘whale‑eel’ is prowling south of the capital.”

“That creature, possibly a Tier‑One monster, absolutely deserves a nuclear strike.”

“I want to see if we can feed it a big one.”

“From the underground works back to the Hall of Holy Blood, the distance was far from short.”

“Moreover, the capital does not possess the abundant, albeit primitive, mechanical equipment that the Mechanical Church’s territories enjoy, making the transport of such massive nukes a daunting task.”

“After all, a three‑million‑ton warhead weighs nearly two tonnes, and with its outer casing the total mass tops four tonnes.”

“Without heavy machinery, moving this lot is far from easy.”

“——”

“Fortunately, the Holy Blooded are never short of strength.”

“If one person can’t lift it, then two, three, ten.”

“Children are foolish and can’t use tools, but their strength is great.”

“After nearly four hours, Chen Jian led the Holy Blooded of the city to haul out the vast majority of movable warheads, and without a moment’s pause they loaded them onto every vehicle in the convoy and drove them to the designated deployment sites.”

“According to prior reconnaissance, the whale‑eel is active in the northwest sector of Jinmen; given the patterns of these monsters and beast tides, wherever it is, it should be moving toward the capital.”

“Fuxi’s latest discovery of geomorphic change zones around the former Anci area, when linked, suggests the creature’s speed is about five kilometers per hour.”

“Thus it should now be in the Langfang region, roaming within a thirty‑kilometer radius.”

“We need not wait for its second appearance; we must detonate a nuclear warhead within its possible range now and see whether a fierce electromagnetic pulse can force it out.”

“This will be a crucial experiment—if a strong EMP proves effective against the monsters in the beast tide, future countermeasures will be far simpler.”

“Nevertheless, we must also prepare for defense.”

“We shall deploy at least four thirty‑kiloton warheads along a fifty‑kilometer belt from the capital’s outskirts to the Langfang line, forming four circles of roughly five‑kilometer radius to seal the monster’s advance.”

“Simultaneously, the city must install howitzers and tank guns, gather every usable long‑range weapon, and pre‑aim at the directions the monster may emerge from.”

“Furthermore, every resident of the capital must be readied for evacuation; if the line falls, all must flee north swiftly, while we maneuver south to draw the monster away.”

“That’s the plan in a nutshell. Clear?”

“Clear!”

“With Chen Jian’s briefing finished, everyone immediately claimed their assigned tasks.”

“Using the already‑laid honey‑comb network base stations, Huang Meng drove a truck carrying a nuclear warhead unlocked with a secret key to the deployment point, while two other trucks loaded with warheads lingered on standby.”

“The truck rolled out and reached the designated spot in just one and a half hours.”

“Immediately, Huang Meng kept the truck on standby, while the others busied themselves crafting rudimentary EMP shielding devices to safeguard every critical electronic system in the city.”

“Orders streamed in one after another; the Holy Blooded were both executors and messengers.”

“They relayed the commands from the Holy Father and the Huaxia Army to the citizens verbatim, and when the civilians heard the Holy Blooded say, ‘The Huaxia Army will take decisive action against the monsters threatening the capital,’ bewildered expressions crossed their faces.”

“Decisive action”?

“In other words, the ferocious charge that had ripped into the capital, slashing through a dozen monsters as if cutting vegetables, was not yet called decisive?”

“So what exactly are they planning now?”

“The civilians gathered, seeking an answer from the Holy Blooded, but the reply was blunt and simple.”

“Kill the monsters, that’s all there is to it.”

“Kill the monsters?”

“But where are the monsters?”

“No one can see any trace of their activity; after the first wave of the beast tide vanished, the surrounding monsters—and even the blood‑skeletons—have fallen silent.”

“Looking around, where are any enemies? ——”

“Yet they do not know that, at this moment, Chen Jian’s smart visor has already marked at least four distinct monsters.”

“This is the second wave of the beast tide.”

“Chen Jian exhaled deeply, then said:”

“These monsters are smarter than the first wave—or rather, the first wave were merely cannon fodder sent to scout.”

“Almost every creature employs a unique camouflage, moving with extreme caution.”

“Without the aerial view from drones, we would have been blindsided by their raids.”

“Fuxi, report the nuclear deployment status!”

“All nuclear warheads have been fully deployed!”

“Fuxi’s voice crackled through the headset; Chen Jian gave a slight nod and issued the order:”

“Everyone, attention—detonation countdown is thirty minutes.”

“Await Monster 1 entering the blast radius of Warhead 1.”

“The guest has arrived; prepare the dish!”

“Understood!”

At the sound of the command, the crowd's tension rose another notch.

They were no strangers to confronting monsters.

Yet to strike a monster directly with a nuclear bomb was unequivocally a first.

From afar, through the drone's eye, Chen Jian saw clearly a massive form, almost merged with the surrounding foliage, lumbering slowly.

It was the very beast that had vanished near Ander City.

Now it was advancing toward the Imperial Capital, while the standby truck kept fine‑tuning its position, striving to keep the routes aligned.

Under this strategy, the monster drew ever nearer to Nuclear Warhead No. 1.

Less than six kilometers away.

According to its trajectory, it was likely to pass within a one‑kilometer radius of the bomb in thirty minutes.

Chen Jian waited in silence for a few minutes, then issued the order, “Truck, withdraw.”

The warhead was off‑loaded; twenty minutes later, the roaring truck fled the danger zone, standing by to redeploy a cellular base after the first nuclear blast, ensuring communications remained open.

At that moment, the Ander City monster had closed to within a kilometer of Warhead No. 1.

Its path had shifted slightly, but that distance was already sufficient.

Chen Jian gave the aerial reconnaissance images one final review.

To his slight disappointment, the terrain‑altering signature of the “whale‑eel” had not manifested within the area they had predicted.

Perhaps it had not arrived yet?

Or perhaps it was still hiding?

It mattered not.

The intense electromagnetic pulse from the first nuclear detonation would surely provoke a response.

Chen Jian inhaled deeply, truly prepared to give the trigger command.

And at that instant, within the drone’s view, a swath of green vegetation suddenly gave way.

A mudslide!

Whale‑eel!

Well timed.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Jian barked:

“Countdown ten seconds!”

“Detonate!”

(End of Chapter)